Vision for Saudi Arabia charts a course of opportunities for its people, with Boeing as a partner By Bill Seil 1961, Saudia entered the jet age with In February 1945, the United States presented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a gift—one that led to the birth of commercial aviation there. It was a DC-3, made by Boeing heritage company Douglas Aircraft. The airplane, presented by President Franklin Roosevelt to King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, was used to carry passengers and cargo between Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran. The success of this service led King Abdulaziz to order two more DC-3s, launching Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry. Since that time, Boeing and Saudi Arabian Airlines, or Saudia, have maintained a solid relationship. In 32 Frontiers October 2014 the delivery of a Boeing 707. Since then, Saudi Arabian customers have taken delivery of 150 Boeing airplanes through August 2014. Saudi Arabia is also an important customer for Boeing’s military products. Boeing’s relationship with the Royal Saudi Air Force began in 1978 with the purchase of Saudi Arabia’s initial F-15C/D fleet. In December 2011, Saudi Arabia and the United States government signed a foreign military sales agreement—the largest such agreement in U.S. history. This included the purchase from Boeing of 84 new F-15SA fighters; upgrade packages
Frontiers October 2014 Issue
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