Editing Saudia (section)

===Early years===
[[File:Boeing 707-368C HZ-ACD Saudi LAP 18.05.69 edited-3.jpg|thumb|Saudi Arabian Airlines [[Boeing 707]] in 1969]]
When U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] presented a [[Douglas DC-3]] as a gift to [[King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud]] in 1945, the event marked the kingdom's gradual development of civil aviation. The nation's [[flag carrier]], Saudia, was founded as Saudi Arabian Airlines in September 1945<ref>{{cite web|title=Economy and Infrastructure|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Brochures/DFS_Economy_and_Infrastructure.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524132139/http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Brochures/DFS_Economy_and_Infrastructure.pdf |archive-date=2010-05-24 |url-status=live|publisher=Saudi Embassy|access-date=5 September 2014}}</ref> as a fully owned government agency under the control of the Ministry of Defense, with [[Trans World Airlines|Trans World Airlines (TWA)]] running the airline under a management contract.

The now-demolished [[Kandara Airport|Al-Kandara Airport]], close to Jeddah, was the flag carrier's main base. Among the airline's early operations was a special flight from Lydda ([[Lod]]) in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] (today in Israel, site of [[Ben-Gurion International Airport]]), a [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate]] at that time, to carry Hajj pilgrims to Jeddah. The airline used five DC-3 aircraft to launch scheduled operations on the Jeddah-Riyadh-Hofuf-Dhahran route in March 1947. Its first international service was between Jeddah and Cairo. Service to [[Beirut]], [[Karachi]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Events of Interest in Aviation World|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/112368056|access-date=22 January 2021|work=The New York Times|date=15 January 1952|id={{ProQuest|112368056}}}}</ref> and [[Damascus]] followed in early 1948. The first of five [[Bristol 170]]s was received the following year. These aircraft offered the airline the flexibility of carrying both passengers and cargo.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Cross |first=Lee |date=March 14, 2023 |title=3/14/1947: Saudia Takes to the Skies |url= https://airwaysmag.com/saudia-takes-to-the-skies-2/ |magazine=Airways Magazine |location=[[Dallas]] |publisher=Airways Publishing, LLC |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

In 1962, the airline took delivery of two [[Boeing 720]]s, becoming the fourth Middle Eastern airline to fly jet aircraft after [[Middle East Airlines]] and [[Cyprus Airways]] with the [[de Havilland Comet]] in 1960 and [[El Al]] with the [[Boeing 707]] in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/ElAl/Tran25.htm|title=Commercial Aviation|website=centennialofflight.gov|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> On 19 February 1963, the airline became a registered company, with [[Faisal bin Abdul Aziz|King Faisal of Saudi Arabia]] signing the papers that declared Saudia a fully independent company. [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6]]s and [[Boeing 707]]s were later bought, and the airline joined the AACO, the [[Arab Air Carriers' Organization]]. Services were started to [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]], [[Geneva]], [[Khartoum]], [[Heathrow Airport|London]], [[Mumbai]], [[Rabat]], [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]], [[Tehran]], [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], and [[Tunis]].

[[File:Lockheed L-1011-385-1-15 TriStar 200, Saudia - Saudi Arabian Airlines AN0213092.jpg|thumb|Saudi Arabian Airlines [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]] in 1987]]

In the 1970s, a new livery was introduced. It comprised a white fuselage with green and blue stripes and a green tailfin. The carrier's name was changed to ''Saudia'' on 1 April 1972. [[Boeing 737]]s and [[Fokker F-28]]s were bought, with the 737s replacing the [[Douglas DC-9]]. The airline operated its first [[Boeing 747]] service in 1977 when three jumbo jets were leased from [[Middle East Airlines]] and deployed in the [[Heathrow Airport|London]] sector. The first all-cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and Europe were started, and [[Lockheed L-1011]]s and [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227|Fairchild FH-27]]s were introduced. New services, including the ''Arabian Express'' 'no reservation shuttle flights' between Jeddah and Riyadh. The Special Flight Services (SFS) was set up as a special unit of Saudia and operates special flights for [[Saudi royal family|the royal family]] and government agencies. Service was also started to [[Kano (city)|Kano]], [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]], [[Paris]], [[Rome]], and [[Stockholm]]. The Pan Am/Saudia joint service between [[Dhahran]] and [[New York City]] began in 1979.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Mahmoud|first=Marwa |date= October 29, 2022|title= Intercontinental For 77 Years: The History of Saudia Airlines|url= https://www.leaders-mena.com/intercontinental-for-77-years-the-history-of-saudia-airlines/ |magazine= Leaders Mena Magazine|location= |publisher=Leaders |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747SP Maiwald.jpg|thumb|A Saudi Arabian Airlines [[Boeing 747SP]] in 1989]]

In the 1980s, services such as Saudia Catering began. Flights were started to [[Amsterdam]], [[Athens]], [[Baghdad]], [[Bangkok]], [[Brussels]], [[Colombo]], [[Dakar]], [[Delhi]], [[Dhaka]], [[Islamabad]], [[Jakarta]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Lahore]], [[Madrid]], [[Manila]], [[Mogadishu]], [[Nairobi]], [[New York City]], [[Nice]], [[Seoul]], [[Singapore]], and [[Taipei]]. ''Horizon Class'', a [[business class]] service, was established to offer enhanced service. Cargo hubs were built in Brussels and Taipei. [[Airbus A300]]s, [[Boeing 747]]s, and [[Cessna]] Citations were also added to the fleet, the Citations for the SFS service. On 1 July 1982, the first nonstop service from [[Jeddah]] to [[New York City]] was initiated with Boeing 747SP aircraft. This was followed by a Riyadh-New York route. In 1989, services to [[Larnaca]] and [[Addis Ababa]] began.

[[File:Saudia Boeing 737-200 Davey.jpg|thumb|A Saudi Arabian Airlines [[Boeing 737-200]] in 1995]]

In the 1990s, services to Orlando, Chennai, Asmara, Washington, D.C., Johannesburg, Alexandria, Milan, Málaga (seasonal), and Sana'a (resumption) were introduced. [[Boeing 777]]s, [[MD-90]]s, and [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]]s were introduced. New female [[flight attendant]] uniforms designed by [[Adnan Akbar]] were introduced. A new corporate identity was launched on 16 July 1996, featuring a [[sand]] colored [[fuselage]] with contrasting dark blue tailfin, the center of which featured a stylized representation of the [[House of Saud]] crest. The Saudia name was dropped in the identity revamp, with the full Saudi Arabian Airlines name used.