[ad_1]
Review: Saudi Arabian Airlines flight review
Dubai to Khartoum
A330-300 and B747-300
Saudi Arabian Airlines Dubai → Khartoum via Medina and Jeddah
background of the journey
Through the influence of a colleague from Sudan, I started to have a modest interest and curiosity in going to Sudan. Recently, some plane spotters gave me information about the possibility of observing planes there. A quick look at Google Maps revealed that the airport was surrounded by buildings in the middle of town. Great location with one runway! I heard that a new airport is being built (who knows when it will be completed?), so I have to go on a trip now.
There are many stories of visas being severely delayed or making it nearly impossible to obtain a visitor visa. (There is no such thing as a tourist visa) Fortunately, my Sudanese colleague’s father-in-law was the Sudanese ambassador to the UAE, so a visit visa can be arranged on the same day through the embassy. Once you’ve got your visa and cleared the big hurdles, it’s time to book your flight. I hate traveling on traditional routes, especially LCCs like flydubai and Air Arabia. I guess their new boyfriend B737 and A320 have lost my enthusiasm. I was able to find a good combination of flights on Saudi Arabian Airlines. What’s more, we offer full service and the lowest airfares. (Emirates had the highest fares, no surprise coming from Dubai)
I made a quick call to the Saudi Airlines office to confirm that I didn’t need a visa for the connection. Even if the plane stopped in the medina, it made it even more interesting.
I left Abu Dhabi that evening and headed to Dubai. It took a total of about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get from Abu Dhabi to Dubai Airport via the Emirates Express E1 bus and the Dubai Metro. The metro station is located adjacent to Dubai Terminal 1, making it a great option for transportation to and from the airport. The total cost was 30 dirhams instead of 240 dirhams in a taxi.
Non-Emirates departure boards are now more colorful
From Dubai to Medina to Jeddah
S.V. 587 A330-300 hertz-AQD
Check-in for Saudia took place in Area F. Area F is the old Emirates check-in area before Emirates USA relocated. T3. It was breezy and very orderly. In any case, as expected, the Dnata lady took some time to understand my routing. She said she had never seen anyone vacation in Sudan like I did…. After some banter and small talk, she warmed up, offered me a “nice” seat, and wished me a good trip to Sudan. Boarding passes for both flights could be issued in Dubai.
Area F is also used by Gulf Air. Access to the concourse is much faster through dedicated security and immigration checkpoints. You will be at the concourse and lounge within 2 minutes. As it was the eve of the UAE’s 40th anniversary, there were signs and decorations all over the terminal.
Thanks to your credit card, you can access the Business Class Lounge (or Merhaba Lounge) at Dubai Airport every time you fly. The lounge serves ample meals (six hot dishes) and snacks, as well as standard drinks. I always pack my bags there before my flight. The lounge is also used by several airlines including Qatar, Kuwait, South Korea, China Southern Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines.
At 8pm, the boarding call was made and we headed through the expansive duty-free area to gate 119. There was just a 20% duty free sale, so he took advantage of it and bought two new Hugo and his boss ties.
To my surprise, I saw the entire Malaysia Airlines crew at the gate dead heading towards Medina. After a short conversation with the captain, he informed me that he was planning to pick up the company’s B747-400 Haj Charter and fly back to Malaysia.
A very light load becomes apparent immediately after riding. A total of 67 people can ride out of the approximately 300 seats. I took the opportunity to take a few photos of the cabin. No one asked any questions.
Onboard – Guest (Economy) Claas Seat
To Saudi Airlines’ credit, most of its flights are strictly on time. At least GCC flights are punctual. From Rwy30R we turn very fast, passing the lights of the skyscrapers of Deira, Mina and Sheikh Zayed Road. The plane continues straight west toward Medina without making any turns. Flight time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Saudia’s new A330 did not offer in-flight entertainment. Newspapers were provided instead. “Most Saudi customers won’t watch tv set Or listen to music.” I remembered what a Saudi first-class passenger had told me on my last trip.
I think he summarized why IFE is not installed. Many of Saudi Arabia’s flights are operated as labor flights and do not offer any luxuries on board.
A simple dinner will be served. The food looks better in the photos, but the pasta was almost inedible. The sweets and salads were delicious.
After the meal, I was invited to explore the cabin and sit in first class (or business class) as a guest of the purser, Mr. Sultan. He said photos are perfectly fine as long as they don’t include photos of the crew. I also took photos of the prayer area at the back of the plane.
A330-300 business class
Event free flight cruising at FL400. We finally descended the mountain at around 2230 local time and landed safely on Rwy 08 in Medina. There are some terrain/mountains near the medina. Wouldn’t it be a good observation place? He was followed by four large aircraft (two Saudia B747s, one Saudia B777 and one Highfly A310) landing, making the Medina Airport ramp extremely crowded.
We refueled and about 30 passengers deplaned. There were no passengers on this international flight. However, a large group of Saudi Arabian crew members joined them, creating a dead end. middle east to their home base of Jeddah. The next flight was very short. Jeddah is just 30 minutes southbound. I felt sleepy and didn’t wake up until the final approach. Jeddah was a beautiful sight at night, with the entire city illuminated by bright lights. The grounds of Jeddah Airport were vast. He has three runways: 34L, 34C, and 34R. We landed at 34 degrees Celsius.
A photo taken off the plane.
As some of you may know, there is no airport bridge in Jeddah and there are two main terminals: the North Terminal and the South Terminal. Saudia uses the North Terminal (same) NAS However, most foreign airlines use the South Terminal. After a long taxi ride, we parked at a hard stand and all passengers deplaned using the stairs and took the bus to the terminal.
Instead of going through immigration, I headed to Saudi Arabian Airlines’ small transfer desk. Again, the police officer was surprised that I was going to Khartoum and handed me a meal ticket. He was very kind and efficient. A small passageway leads you upstairs and back to airside for departure. It’s a very simple process, unlike in Dubai, where it can take up to an hour during peak congestion on Emirates.
I head to Saudi Arabian Airlines’ Al Farsan Lounge. I was able to use it thanks to my Priority Pass card.
Lounge photos:
The lounge wasn’t too crowded so we found a good ‘bed’ for the night. Needless to say, the food served was pretty decent! I love the Chinese fish they make there!
I slept for about 2-3 hours, S.V. The attendant woke me up shouting “Khartoum…. Boarding Khartoum.”Yes, this is the first flight departing that morning at 5:30am
As I walked out of the lounge with my eyes open, I saw a huge crowd of people gathering towards Gate 11, and the sight woke me up! A large number of Sudanese people had gathered there, many wearing their national costumes. It was like a wave hitting the boarding gate.
We went downstairs and waited to board the bus.
I arrived at the plane at 5am. Saudia jumbo jet, B747-368 hertz-AIN is waiting for us on the tarmac. I am now wide awake knowing that I have a great ride ahead of me!
Jeddah to Khartoum
S.V. 451 B747-368 hertz-Ain
I met a young man named Omer. Afterwards we became good friends and he became my tour guide in Khartoum and my living support there. Boarding took forever and made me believe the myth that “Sudanese are very slow”… (No offense intended.) However, I stood on the stairs a little unconcerned and was amazed at the size and width of the jumbo jet. He was a classic and was very happy to be able to fly a B747 again. Steal photos here and there without anyone seeing or getting yelled at.
Stair boarding on a jumbo jet
Amazingly, boarding ended at 05:30 standard time and we pushed back immediately without wasting any time. It was a miracle that we departed on time! Some passengers were not seated while we started the taxi to the active location. There wasn’t a single seat around! There are approximately 360 passengers.
At 5:35 a.m., we took off on Rwy 34L from the left bank toward the Red Sea. I’m heading to the African continent!
The view of the cabin from my seat. After half an hour, the sun’s rays are visible for the first time in a clear dark sky, slowly and slowly rising to the level of the horizon and then above it. It was the most beautiful moment of the day if you could see it. It’s so much fun that I can’t stop taking pictures… Seeing the beautiful sunrise already makes this trip well worth it.
Sudan’s creativity is abundant there.
For breakfast, you can choose between a full meal or an omelet. However, the omelet was cold, so I guess they forgot to heat up the breakfast. Her flight time is short at 1 hour and 30 minutes, so you may not have enough time to wait for your food to be heated before being served. The crew worked very quickly and provided us with coffee/tea before landing.
My seatmate, the old man on the left, is 75 years old and is returning from Hajj. It was a first for him. I took a few more pictures of the inside of the plane before the seatbelt sign appeared.
With the Nile River visible from the window, we began our descent towards Khartoum.
The view under the 747 wing is amazing, Khartoum is a huge city, you can see villages and farms before the city, and the airport is right in the middle of town.
More and more buildings passed under the wing, and we finally landed at 7:15 a.m. local time (no time difference). Jed KRT) and taxi from the runway to the remote stand at 7:20am. Yak42 and IL76 took off after we landed and we were already very excited from the morning.
Before getting off the plane, I took a photo of the first class (36 seats in zones A and B).
Once again, we deplaned via stairs and bus and arrived at the terminal, which was only 20 seconds away. To my surprise, the immigration process in Khartoum was quick and efficient with no questions asked. It took a long time for the package to be delivered. As a result, Saudi Arabian Airlines flights to Khartoum will be discontinued.
Baggage receiving scene
International flight arrival
With Omar’s help, I was able to fly around the place. Sudan has some amazing and rare indigenous airplanes that you won’t find anywhere else. Many Russian propeller aircraft such as An-12, An-24, An-26, An-30, and An-32 as well as jet aircraft such as An-74, Tu-134, and Yak-42 are in service in the country. Also, illinois-62, given the title Forty-Eight Aviation, parked and withdrawn from service. Furthermore, there are several B707s and DC8s around him, making it a heaven for plane watchers. I was so hungry that I had a strong desire to take pictures of everyone. This was one of the most exciting trips I’ve been on in a while, and it felt like we were stealing one amazing plane after another from Khartoum. At that moment, the security guard might have caught me. In the end, I achieved exactly what I wanted, on my own terms. I was very satisfied after the 2 day trip. Many people told me how “lucky” I was considering the uncomfortable circumstances. This regime was certainly very impressive. Luckily, I left two nights later with all my aerial photography treasures and memories of Sudan. In the end, I returned to Abu Dhabi via Doha on a Qatar Airways A321 and A320.
This trip gave me immense satisfaction. I fulfilled my mission and through strong will, I was able to achieve exactly what I wanted. I believe this is a lifelong story that will be passed down to the next generation.
Photos of people and streets in Sudan
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy my journey.
related
[ad_2]
Source link