RIYADH: Saudia installed special liveries on two of its aircraft ahead of events in Jeddah and Riyadh in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture for its “Year of Arabic Calligraphy” project.
The Jeddah event took place at King Abdul Aziz International Airport on Wednesday, ahead of a flight to Dubai in the UAE.
Razan Shaker, a media specialist for the airline’s corporate communications department, told Arab News: “Today, we are celebrating the ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy,’ an initiative under the Ministry of Culture. This initiative showcases and celebrates the intricate designs and the beautiful art of Arabic calligraphy.”
She said one of the goals of this initiative is to show Arabic calligraphy to the world, “and for that reason, we have two aircraft designed with the intricate livery of the ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy’.”
#WATCH: Saudi Arabia’s @MOCSaudi and @Saudi_Airlines celebrate Year of #ArabicCalligraphy by decorating two #Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes bound for #Dubai Airport and #Heathrow Airporthttps://t.co/KuoEOEwNBk pic.twitter.com/Zqqe7etZxn
— Arab News (@arabnews) June 2, 2021
As a souvenir, calligraphers at King Abdul Aziz International wrote the names of passengers on mock boarding passes in intricate fonts. Saudia also arranged for onboard giveaways for passengers.
A group of renowned Arabic calligraphers was also stationed at the airport’s executive lounge, Al-Fursan lounge, and boarding area. In addition, there were two musicians performing on traditional Arabic instruments, the Oud and Qanun.
Saudi calligrapher and carver Shareefa Al-Ghamdi participated in the event. She said she was proud to share this cultural art with the world.
بإبداعٍ يحتفي بتراثنا وثقافتنا، طائرة #عام_الخط_العربي تحلّق في سماءات المملكة والعالم #الخطوط_السعودية pic.twitter.com/CylDEEidc1
— السعودية | SAUDIA (@Saudi_Airlines) June 2, 2021
She also participated at events in Norway and Indonesia with the Saudi Embassy. “I always try to present this art one way or another in society; I teach all age groups any topic related to this art,” Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.
She added: “It is such an amazing feeling to be one of the people in this field and present this type of art. The Holy Qur’an is written in calligraphy. I’m proud to share this field through education programs, lectures, meetings workshops.”
Capt. Hassan Al-Ghamdi flew one of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners decorated by Saudia. “The decorations have been made on a few airplanes on the fleet to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and the cooperation between Saudi airlines and the Ministry of Culture,” he told Arab News.
As a proud Saudi pilot, he said he wished Arabic speakers could share their language everywhere they go.
One passenger on a flight to Dubai, Moayad Ghulam, said it brought him pride to see Saudi calligraphers share their talents.
He told Arab News flying after a year of being deprived due to coronavirus disease restrictions made him feel like he was flying for the first time.
“I’m so excited to travel again, it’s actually my first time in Jeddah’s new international airport, it’s a strange feeling,” he added.
