Saudia Airlines Launches First Fully Internet-Enabled Flight

Riyadh: Saudia Airlines launched its first fully internet-enabled flight on Friday as part of a pilot phase aimed at testing the service and gathering feedback from passengers and users. According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative reflects Saudia's commitment to enhancing the travel experience and providing comprehensive, high-efficiency digital connectivity. Once officially launched, the service will be offered free of charge to all passengers as part of Saudia's efforts to support digital transformation and adopt the latest technologies in the aviation sector. The technology provides a seamless connection with speeds of up to 300 megabits per second, with the potential to exceed 800 megabits per second in the future. It enables passengers to browse the internet, watch live streams, and hold virtual meetings through various applications without interruption, while also allowing the use of multiple devices and easy switching between them. Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation Saleh Al-Jasser and Director General of Saudia Group Eng. Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Al-Omar watched a live broadcast of a Saudi Pro League match during the trial phase aboard flight SV1044 at an altitude of 35,000 feet. The minister also conducted a live television interview with a news channel and held a video call with Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha during the flight. Minister Al-Jasser expressed his admiration for the internet service, affirming that it represents both a technological luxury and an essential service-a feature that must be integrated as a strategic component of the Kingdom's aviation and air transport sector transformation program. He also urged those overseeing the project to expedite the necessary procedures to implement the service across Saudia's entire fleet. Meanwhile, Eng. Al-Omar expressed his pride that Saudia continues its journey toward enhancing the travel experience through innovati ve digital services. He indicated that this service will soon be available free of charge to all passenger classes on board, reflecting Saudia's commitment to providing a fully integrated digital experience. He added that nearly 20 aircraft have already been equipped with the new service and that the project will be expanded to cover the entire existing Saudia fleet, as well as new aircraft joining the service. It will be fully completed once all necessary legal procedures are finalized.