Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the Kingdom’s national carrier, joined in UNESCO festivities to mark “World Arabic Language Day” at key events in Paris on Dec. 18 and 19.
Saudia was the main sponsor of the events. The airline’s cabin crew were in Paris to represent the brand and its hospitality to the guests.
The United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization has dedicated World Arabic Language Day to highlight the links between Arabic and science and the potential of new technologies for the dissemination and learning of the Arabic language.
The events consisted of concerts and round tables at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and worldwide, to stimulate linguistic research and the development of Arabic dictionaries
Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said: “The Arabic language is a pillar of the cultural diversity of humanity. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, used daily by more than 290 million people.
“In the diversity of its forms, classic or dialectal, from oral expression to poetic calligraphy, the Arabic language has given rise to a fascinating aesthetic, in fields as varied as architecture, poetry, philosophy and song. It gives access to an incredible variety of identities and beliefs and its history reveals the richness of its links with other languages.”
In his speech during the event, Ibrahim Al-Refai, Saudia’s operations manager to France and Switzerland, said: “Saudia proudly supports UNESCO’s efforts in honoring Arabic Language Day with these special events, and we look forward to continued collaboration.”
Saudia currently flies 26 flights per week from and to Paris Charles de Gaulle. The route is operated with the airline’s new Boeing 777-300ER in a tri-class configuration, including the latest product — “First Suite,” which operates to 89 destinations across four continents and has more than 550 departures daily — set to double to more than 1,000 by 2020.
The airline has been awarded the “World’s Most Improved Airline of 2017” by Skytrax at the Paris Air Show in June, earlier this year.