Five Years Later, Saudia Brings Kozhikode Back And Unlocks India with Air India Deal
Jeddah: Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia is embarking on an aggressive expansion strategy that promises to fundamentally reshape travel options for the massive Indian expatriate community across the Kingdom. The airline is simultaneously restoring direct flights to Kozhikode after a five-year pause and launching a comprehensive codeshare agreement with Air India, a powerful combination that will dramatically enhance connectivity, reduce travel costs, and simplify journeys for over 2.7 million Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia.
Beginning February 1, 2026, Saudia will restart direct service on the Riyadh-Kozhikode route, marking the airline’s return to the Malabar region after a five-year suspension. Saudia had halted operations in Kozhikode in 2020 after India’s civil aviation regulator restricted large aircraft operations at Kozhikode International Airport following an Air India Express accident. Earlier Saudia had operated A330 and B-777 wide-body aircrafts in Kozhikode.
This time the airline will operate the route with Airbus A320 aircraft which can accommodate 188 passengers per flight. Initially, services will run four days weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) with departures from Riyadh at 1:20 AM, arriving in Kozhikode at 8:35 AM. Return flights depart Kozhikode at 9:45 AM, landing in Riyadh by 12:50 PM.
Saudia has indicated that frequency could increase to six days weekly if demand warrants. Additionally, the airline has signalled that highly demanded Jeddah-Kozhikode service may resume in the coming months.
More baggage options, better passenger service, and a strong on-time performance record are key factors that have earned Saudia a large fan base among Indian expatriates. In contrast, many Indian airlines have been plagued by technical issues, frequent delays, and poor passenger amenities.
However, an airline official with another international airline, who preferred not to be named, raised concerns about the benefits for common passengers. “We have to wait and see how this will help regular passengers,” he told Time Line. “The challenge is that large travel agencies often buy seats in bulk and block them with advance payment as demand is high. Situations like this are difficult for airlines to manage.” He added, “Saudia has a huge fan following among Indian expatriates, and many are emotionally connected to the airline.”
Saudia-Air India Codeshare Agreement
The Kozhikode resumption gains exponential value through Saudia’s newly announced codeshare agreement with Air India, effective February 2026. This partnership transforms what might have been a single point-to-point route into a gateway to India’s entire domestic aviation network.
Under the agreement, Indian expatriates can now book a single ticket from Saudi Arabia to any Indian city served by Air India. Their baggage will be checked all the way to their final destination. This eliminates the need for separate bookings and saves money.
Previously, traveling to smaller Indian cities meant either booking expensive multi-stop flights or flying through hub airports. Now, an expat from Riyadh or Jeddah can book one ticket to reach their destination directly with no connection hassles, no layover hotels, and no extra costs.
The agreement is not unidirectional. Air India passengers traveling to Saudi Arabia also gain seamless onward connections on Saudia-operated flights to Dammam, Abha, Qassim, Jizan, Madinah, and Taif, plus flexible Jeddah-Riyadh interline routings. This allows Indian tourists and pilgrims to arrive in one Saudi city and depart from another, particularly valuable for Umrah pilgrims.
The timing couldn’t be better. The Air India codeshare takes effect in February, just as Saudia restarts its Kozhikode route, creating a seamless travel solution for Indian expatriates. The market’s response has been immediate, tickets for the Kozhikode-Riyadh service sold out within days of booking opening on Saudia’s website and through travel agencies.
This surge in demand underscores just how badly the expatriate community has been waiting for this connectivity. For them, the convergence of these two initiatives represents the most significant expansion in travel options in years. What was once a fragmented, expensive journey home has become streamlined and more accessible.
