Saudia Airlines Selects Embry-Riddle for Flight Training
Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 23, 1996 -- Saudi Arabian
Airlines has signed a contract that consolidates at Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University most of the flight training of its
cadets, which previously had been conducted at other facilities
in the U.S.
 With its acquisition of 61 new Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas jets, Saudia's need for new pilots has doubled, says Capt. Jazza Ghanem, vice president for flight operations at the airline. "We are using Embry-Riddle because of its name and reputation in the field of aviation education."
Starting Nov. 4, Saudia will begin sending groups of 8-12 students at a time to the Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona Beach, Fla., for up to 12 months. There they will achieve up to 320 hours of flight time and complete commercial pilot's certification, instrument rating, and multi-engine rating. They will live in campus housing. Upon completing the program, they will return to the airline's academy in Saudi Arabia for advanced jet training.
Saudia compared several schools in the U.S. before the airline's director general, Khalid Ben Bakr, made the final decision, says Capt. Majed Kabbani, general manager of flight operations training. "His Excellency liked Embry-Riddle's experience and history. Their system is airline-oriented." Kabbani says consolidation also will give the airline greater control and standardization.
Another advantage, says Capt. Talal Ageel, manager of flight training academy operations, is that although it is not an academic program, students will receive credits that can be applied toward a university degree.
Kabbani believes Saudia's decision to consolidate its flight training at Embry-Riddle could appeal to others, as well. "We meet twice a year with other airlines in the region," he says. "Next time we meet I'll be talking to them about our decision."
Embry-Riddle's ties with Saudi Arabia are extensive. The University has been educating Saudi students for years, and in 1994 it awarded an honorary doctorate in aviation business administration to Prince Fahad Bin Abdullah, who is assistant to the minister of defense and civil aviation in Saudi Arabia.
The world's largest university specializing in aviation and aerospace, Embry-Riddle has campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and over 100 education centers in the U.S. and Europe. Its curriculum covers engineering, research, manufacturing, management, and marketing of modern aircraft and the systems that support them.
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