Saudi Arabia, April 1, 2014:  British Airways bolstered its commitment to Saudi Arabia with the introduction of a Boeing 777-200 on its Jeddah route. The aircraft, complete with the airline’s award winning First class cabin, touched down at King Abdulaziz International Airport yesterday morning.  

Jeddah customers will also benefit from an increased flight schedule with daily flights now available to British Airways’ home at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, which has just been awarded the Skytrax Best Airport Terminal, for the third consecutive year.

The announcement is part of British Airways’ investment in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region. Keith Williams, Executive Chairman of British Airways said, “British Airways has been serving Saudi Arabia since 1965 and it continues to be a very important country for our airline. We now operate daily flights from Jeddah as we have thousands of passengers in Saudi Arabia who choose to fly with British Airways to London Heathrow, North America and beyond. We believe there is huge potential to grow our offering further. 

“With our customers’ experience at the centre of everything we do, we are, investing 5bn GBP in products and services, including smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground for our customers across the world.”  

The new, redesigned British Airways First cabin which has been rolled out across the majority of the fleet at a cost of over 100m GBP, will now be available to and from Jeddah. Passengers in the First class cabin suites will enjoy a 60 per cent wider seat along with increased privacy and a personal wardrobe. In Club World, the fully flat-bed seats are designed so customers can work or relax with power ports and the latest on demand entertainment.  . 

Following the launch of the new aircraft, British Airways now offers daily flights from both Jeddah and Riyadh into London Heathrow. Across the GCC, the airline operates a total of 63 flights each week from eight cities in six countries. British Airways has increased the number of flights from the Middle East to London Heathrow by 40 per cent in the last five years due to a continued high demand from customers in the region. 

To celebrate the launch of its First class service from Jeddah to London, British Airways is offering customers the opportunity to upgrade to First class one-way at no extra cost when an eligible published Club World return flight is booked from Jeddah by 31 May 2014. Outbound travel must be between 31 March and 31 May 2014. Customers can book as many free upgrades as they like on eligible flights from Jeddah within the offer period. To book, simply call British Airways on +966 92 000 2215 or contact your travel agent. Customers can choose to receive their free upgrade to First class on the outbound or return part of their journey.

To view the on-board products available on British Airways aircraft, visit www.ba.com.  A full timetable of flights to London and other destinations is available online at ba.com where customers can book, securely pay and check-in online for their flights.