Saudia’s NW26 Schedule Shock: 57 Route Changes, New Tokyo Service and A321XLR Expansion

Saudia has filed a sweeping update to its Northern Winter 2026/27 international schedule, touching 57 routes out of Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah and Dammam. The revision — compared against an earlier filing from mid-June 2026 — brings a mix of frequency boosts, a handful of cuts, fleet swaps, one revived route, and a brand-new destination.

Not everything in the filing is locked in yet. A number of the added flights are still marked tentative, unavailable for booking, or limited to specific weeks of the season, so travelers should treat some of these numbers as directional rather than final.

Jeddah: The Epicenter of Change

As the carrier’s largest hub, Jeddah absorbs the bulk of the adjustments — spanning Africa, South Asia, Europe and North America — alongside a growing role for the Airbus A321XLR.

Africa and the Middle East

• Abuja: New three-weekly A321XLR service from December 1, rising to four weekly between February 10–March 9, 2027 (extra flight not yet bookable). Filed schedule:
  • SV337: JED 08:45 → ABV 13:05, A321
  • SV336: ABV 14:40 → JED 21:55, A321
• Alexandria: Possible bump from 10 to 12 weekly flights for a three-week window in February–March 2027.
• Algiers: 13 of 15 planned weekly 777-300ER flights bookable from October 25.
• Bahrain: Tentative increase from four to five weekly flights from October 28.
• Cairo: Potential ninth daily flight from January 11, 2027.
• Casablanca: 14 weekly 787 flights confirmed from October 25 (up from an originally filed 12).
• Doha: Jumps from 4 to 7 weekly flights starting October 25, later settling at 5 weekly from February 8.
• Kano: Up from 3 to 4 weekly 777-300ER flights from October 25.
• Nairobi: Increases to 8 weekly A330 flights (from 6) starting October 25.
• Sharm el Sheikh: Rises from 4 to 5 weekly flights from October 25.

South and Southeast Asia

• Bangalore: Tentatively grows from 4 to 7 weekly flights (dipping to 6 in early February).
• Bangkok: Up to 6 weekly 787 flights from October 25.
• Delhi: The standout gainer — climbing from 9 to 13 weekly flights on November 1, then 15 by December 3 and 16 by January 5, 2027, with the extra capacity flown by the A321XLR (not yet bookable). The filed schedule:
  • SV756: JED 02:15 → DEL 09:45, 777, days 2-4-6
  • SV758: JED 10:55 → DEL 18:25, 777, days 2-4
  • SV766: JED 17:20 → DEL 01:10 (+1), A321, daily
  • SV767: DEL 02:40 → JED 06:30, A321, daily
  • SV757: DEL 11:25 → JED 15:00, 777, days 2-4-6
  • SV759: DEL 20:05 → JED 23:40, 777, days 2-4
• Guangzhou: Possible increase to 4 weekly 787 flights, with exceptions in February–March.
• Jakarta: Rises to 25 weekly 777-300ER flights (from 21) on October 25, later scaling back to 14 from February 8.
• Kochi: Grows from 5 to 7 weekly flights from November 8, reaching 9 weekly from January 2, 2027, via a mix of A321XLR and A330 (additional flights not yet bookable). Filed combinations:
  • SV784: JED 01:50 → COK 09:50, A330, days 1-3-7
  • SV784: JED 01:50 → COK 10:00, A321, days 5-6
  • SV764: JED 17:05 → COK 01:15 (+1), A321, day 1-7
  • SV764: JED 17:15 → COK 01:15 (+1), A330, days 3-5
  • SV763: COK 02:45 → JED 06:40, A321, days 1-2
  • SV763: COK 02:45 → JED 06:40, A330, days 4-6
  • SV783: COK 11:25 → JED 15:20, A330, days 1-3-7
  • SV783: COK 11:25 → JED 15:20, A321, days 5-6
• Kozhikode: Returns to the network on December 7 after a hiatus dating back to September 2021, opening with three weekly A321XLR flights and growing to seven weekly from January 1, 2027. Filed schedule:
  • SV714: JED 01:00 → CCJ 09:00, A321, days 2-4-6
  • SV716: JED 16:25 → CCJ 00:25 (+1), A321, days 1-3-5
  • SV717: CCJ 01:30 → JED 05:25, A321, days 2-4-6
  • SV715: CCJ 09:55 → JED 13:50, A321, days 2-4-6
• Lahore: Up to 18 weekly 777-300ER flights from October 25.
• Male: Doubles from 2 to 4 weekly A321XLR flights, with a pause in service from February 8–22.
• Mumbai: Increases to 11 weekly A330 flights from October 25.

Europe

• Amsterdam: Tentative fifth weekly 787 flight from October 26.
• Geneva: Builds from 4 to 7 weekly A321XLR flights by December, easing back to 4 in early February.
• Madrid: Grows to 7 weekly flights by December, flown by the A321XLR.
• Milan Malpensa: Up to 6 weekly A330 flights, dipping to 4 in February–March.
• Paris CDG: A321XLR frequency builds steadily from 4 to 7 weekly by January 2027; separately, total weekly service holds at 14 (up from 11) from October 25.
• Vienna: Fleet upgrade — all three weekly flights move to A321XLR by December 1.
• Zurich: Becomes a year-round route from October 27, with a 110-seat A320 flying three times weekly (no service August 30–October 26). Filed schedule:
  • SV233: JED 09:30 → ZRH 13:45, A320
  • SV234: ZRH 14:45 → JED 22:05, A320

North America

• New York JFK: Nearly doubles to 7 weekly 777-300ER flights from October 25.
• Toronto: Holds at 5 weekly 787-9 flights, up from an originally filed 4.

Also from Jeddah: Multan sees a temporary surge to 9 weekly 777-300ER flights between November and December.

Riyadh: Broad Gains, a Few Pullbacks

Riyadh’s changes span the Middle East, Asia, Europe and North America, with growth outweighing the cuts.

Middle East and Asia

• Abu Dhabi: Up to 9–10 weekly flights through the season.
• Alexandria: A rare cut — down from 5 to 4 weekly flights between December and mid-January.
• Amman: Rises to 16 weekly flights from October 25.
• Bahrain: Grows to 7 weekly flights (settling at 6 in mid-February).
• Bangkok: Increases to 5 weekly 787-9 flights.
• Beijing Daxing: Tentative third weekly 787-9 flight from October 25 (extra flight not yet bookable). Filed schedule:
  • SV888: RUH 03:10 → PKX 17:05, 787-9, days 3-7
  • SV880: RUH 22:15 → PKX 12:10 (+1), 787-9, day 7
  • SV881: PKX 13:40 → RUH 20:15, 787-9, day 1
  • SV889: PKX 18:30 → RUH 01:05 (+1), 787-9, days 3-7
• Doha: Builds toward 14 weekly flights by January, with a mid-season dip and recovery.
• Dubai: Edges up to 65 weekly flights (from 63) starting November 2.
• Geneva: Tentative fourth weekly A321XLR flight from December 6.
• Guangzhou: Seasonal bump to 4 weekly 787 flights in select windows.
• Istanbul: Second daily A321neo flight tentatively maintained.
• Kozhikode: Cut from 6 to 4 weekly flights in February–March 2027.
• Kuwait City: Rises to 14 weekly flights across A320, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.
• Lahore: Reduced from 6 to 4 weekly 777-300ER flights from January 6, 2027.

Europe and North America

• Rome Fiumicino: The biggest jump in the filing — more than doubling from 6 to 14 weekly flights from October 25, before easing to 3 weekly between February 4–28 (some added flights not yet bookable). Filed schedule includes:
  • SV209: RUH 02:15 → FCO 06:15, A320/A321neo
  • SV207: RUH 09:40 → FCO 13:40, A320/A321neo
  • SV206: FCO 09:30 → RUH 16:40, A320/A321neo
  • SV208: FCO 15:10 → RUH 22:20, A320/A321neo
• Washington Dulles: Maintains its fourth weekly 777-300ER flight, apart from a break in February.
• Zurich: Up to 4 weekly A320 flights from October 25.

Confirming Earlier Reports

The filing also locks in or refines several previously flagged changes:

• Dammam–London Heathrow: Three weekly 787-9 flights confirmed from October 25.
• Jeddah–Barcelona: A321XLR swap proceeds; frequency builds from 3 to 6 weekly flights by late November, with a February–March dip.
• Jeddah–Birmingham: The suspension is extended through March 26, 2027 — the previously floated resumption does not go ahead in this window.
• Jeddah–London Heathrow: Trimmed from 14 to 11 weekly flights.
• Jeddah–Manchester: Tentative growth to 10 weekly flights via A321XLR from January 2027.
• Jeddah–Moscow Sheremetyevo: Three weekly 787-9 flights planned from October 27, not yet bookable.
• Riyadh–London Heathrow: Rises from 14 to 17 weekly 777-300ER flights.
• Riyadh–Moscow Sheremetyevo: Grows from 3 to 6 weekly flights by January, with a February pause.
• Riyadh–Tokyo Narita: A genuinely new route — three weekly 787-9 flights launching November 1

The A321XLR’s Expanding Footprint

The long-range narrowbody is quickly becoming a fixture of Saudia’s winter network. Out of Jeddah, it’s slated for Abuja, Delhi, Geneva, Kozhikode, Male, Madrid, Paris, Vienna and Manchester; from Riyadh, it appears on the Geneva and Kuwait City routings. On several of these routes the aircraft flies alongside widebodies, producing a mixed-capacity schedule that shifts throughout the season as extra frequencies phase in and out.

Winners and Losers at a Glance

Biggest increases

Notable cuts

Taken together, the filing points to an airline leaning harder into long-haul growth and A321XLR-enabled thin routes, while trimming a small set of underperforming or seasonally soft markets to make room.