Saudi Arabia continues to advance its integrated transport ecosystem as Saudia and Saudi Arabia Railways formalise a new digital collaboration designed to simplify travel to the Holy Cities.
Announced during the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum 2026 in Madinah, the agreement enables travellers to issue boarding passes for both air and rail journeys within a single transaction, marking a significant step towards seamless multimodal travel in the Kingdom.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Essam Akhonbay, Vice President of Marketing at Saudia, and Engr. Ibrahim AlNoaman, Commercial Director of the Haramain High-Speed Railway (HHR) and Masar Makkah Master Plan (MMMP).
Mr Akhonbay said: “This agreement reflects Saudia’s commitment to advancing a more seamless and integrated travel experience through digital innovation. Our digital infrastructure is designed to support the continuous introduction of new services with high efficiency and reliability.”
A more connected travel experience
The integration will allow passengers—particularly pilgrims travelling for Hajj and Umrah—to move more efficiently between international flights and domestic rail connections, notably via the Haramain High-Speed Railway.
By combining air and rail booking systems, the initiative aims to:
- simplify travel procedures
- reduce transfer times
- enhance overall journey continuity
The agreement was signed by Essam Akhonbay, Vice President of Marketing at Saudia, and Ibrahim AlNoaman, Commercial Director of the Haramain High-Speed Railway and Masar Makkah Master Plan.
“This agreement reflects Saudia’s commitment to advancing a more seamless and integrated travel experience through digital innovation,” said Akhonbay. “Our digital infrastructure is designed to support the continuous introduction of new services with high efficiency and reliability.”
Supporting growing pilgrimage demand
The move comes as Saudi Arabia continues to scale up its capacity to accommodate increasing numbers of pilgrims under Vision 2030. Efficient connectivity between gateways such as Jeddah and the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah is a critical component of this strategy.
The Haramain High-Speed Railway, one of the fastest trains in the world with speeds of up to 300 km/h, plays a central role in this ecosystem. It connects Makkah and Madinah via key stations, including King Abdulaziz International Airport, enabling direct air-to-rail transfers.
Building an integrated ecosystem
The new agreement builds on an existing relationship between Saudia and SAR, which has already included joint initiatives such as preferential rail fares for pilgrims travelling between Makkah and Madinah.
Beyond operational efficiency, the partnership reflects a broader shift towards digitally integrated travel platforms, where airlines and ground transport providers work together to deliver end-to-end journeys.
Saudia has been investing heavily in this area, leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced digital infrastructure to enhance personalisation and streamline the travel experience across all touchpoints—from booking to inflight services.
A step towards seamless multimodal travel
As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a global tourism and pilgrimage hub, the ability to connect different modes of transport seamlessly is becoming increasingly important.
The Saudia–SAR collaboration represents a practical step in that direction—linking aviation and rail into a unified journey, and reinforcing the Kingdom’s ambition to offer efficient, scalable and traveller-centric mobility solutions.
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