JEDDAH — Saudi Arabian Airlines has won the 9th position among the top 10 reliable carriers in the world, according to a survey conducted by WanderBat travel site on the basis of airlines' on-time performance, low costs to check bags and average age of fleet. Saudia has achieved an average on-time flight arrival and departure rate of 90 percent while the average age of a Saudia aircraft is 10.1 years, the survey said. The national flag carrier has received 77 of 90 new state-of-the-art aircraft it had ordered from Boeing and Airbus. Saudia achieved 87.1 percent in flight arrivals winning the fifth position among 215 airlines in this category, the survey said. Qatar Airways won the top position while Emirates was placed third and Etihad Airways 15th. Saudia, meanwhile, started implementing the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) project on all its flights replacing the 20-kg traditional bag that contains evidences and paper documents related to aviation and air navigation systems. The national flag carrier has already distributed 1,650 copies of EFB in the form of iPads among flight deck crewmembers after feeding them with the required information and systems to help pilots navigate the aircraft easily and efficiently. In the ongoing second phase of the project, the airline has stopped printing the traditional paper-based flight bags in preparation for experimental use of EFB devices and discontinuing the use of paper-based manuals. Captain Khaled Al-Shumasi, executive vice president for flight operations at Saudia emphasized the airline's desire to cope with new developments in the air transport industry for achieving high standard of performance in terms of safety and providing the best working atmosphere inside the cockpit. The EFB project includes provision of advanced air navigation charts and maps developed by Gibson, a pioneer in the field. The EFB will provide pilots with an exemplary working atmosphere and save 25 million papers related to aviation maps and other publications, thus reducing the weight of Saudia cargo by 5.1 tons monthly and helping to conserve about 500 tons of jet fuel annually. — SG/Agencies
