The soaring legacy of Aramco’s aviation
From a single aircraft to a high-tech fleet, our aviation journey reflects a legacy of innovation, reliability, and operational excellence.
- Aramco’s aviation operations began in 1934 with a single aircraft used for aerial mapping
- Over nine decades, our Aviation Department has evolved into Aloula Aviation, a wholly owned Aramco subsidiary
- Aloula now operates a diverse fleet of over 60 aircraft, supporting Aramco’s offshore, medevac, and logistics operations across Saudi Arabia
Aviation has long played a vital role in connecting people, industries, and possibilities across vast and often challenging landscapes. In a sector like oil and gas, where remote access and rapid response are critical to keep the operations running smoothly, the ability to fly isn’t a luxury — it’s a lifeline.
For Aramco, getting the right people, parts, and equipment to the right place at the right time can mean the difference between smooth operations and costly delays. Now imagine doing all of that across vast deserts, over open seas, and in some of the most remote and rugged terrain on the planet. That’s where the role of aviation comes in.
The beginnings of Aramco Aviation
Aramco's aviation story began in March 1934, when the Company acquired its first aircraft — a Fairchild 71, an American high-wing passenger and cargo aircraft — to conduct aerial surveys in the remote areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The Fairchild 71 was a rugged, single-engine monoplane popular in the 1930s for its ability to operate in remote and undeveloped areas.
In the 1930s, our geologists used the Fairchild 71 airplane primarily for aerial photography and surveying potential drilling sites.
At a time when roads were few and maps were just rough sketches, this aircraft gave us a bird's-eye view of the terrain — a critical step in identifying potential geological formations and planning exploration routes. The plane had a removable window at the bottom of its fuselage, allowing us to take photographs, which helped us gather information that contributed to the mapping and drilling of the Dammam Dome, which eventually resulted in the discovery of Well Number 7, the historic oil well that marked the Kingdom’s first commercial oil discovery.
In 1947, we began using the Douglas DC-4 aircraft for passenger and cargo transport. It was nicknamed the ‘Flying Camel’ due to the plane’s role in traversing the vast desert landscapes, similar to how camels traditionally carried people and goods.
It was during this time that we formally established an Aviation Department. But as our operations grew, so did our aviation needs. By the 1940s and '50s, we had added more aircraft to our fleet, such as the Douglas DC-3, a twin-engine propeller plane and DC-6, a larger, four-engine aircraft, which enabled both cargo and passenger transport. These aircraft also played a valuable role in the Company’s exploration efforts. For instance, in the 1950s, when our geologists began searching for oil in the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert, the DC-3s were used to transport the crews and critical supplies between Dhahran and the outlying ‘spike camps’ or the temporary camps that were set up closer to the exploration sites. One notable addition to our fleet during the time was a Douglas DC-4, which connected our workers in Dhahran with key regional cities and even supported direct international flights to destinations as far as New York.
By this time, aviation had quickly become a vital extension of the Company’s infrastructure.
Expansion and specialization
In the 1960s, as we rapidly expanded our oil and gas operations — developing major oil fields like Ghawar, Abqaiq, and Safaniyah — aviation became a cornerstone of our growth strategy.
In the 1970s and '80s, we added helicopters to our fleet.
The addition of helicopters marked another turning point in our corporate aviation journey. When we first began offshore operations in the 1950s, boats were used to transport employees to and from offshore platforms, which was slow and often impractical in rough seas and harsh weather conditions. In the 1970s and '80s, we introduced helicopters to provide faster, more flexible access to offshore platforms and remote locations. These rotorcrafts transformed offshore logistics, significantly reducing travel time and increasing safety.
Our growing aviation fleet enabled swift movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies across vast distances, allowing teams to reach remote and offshore locations that were otherwise inaccessible. This airborne support system was essential to keeping pace with our accelerating field development, offshore exploration, and rising production demands during a decade of transformational energy growth.
Aramco offers maintenance and repair services to ensure its fleet’s safety and reliability.
To support our growing fleet, we built specialized hangars and maintenance facilities — most notably Hangar 3 at Dhahran Airport, constructed in 1980 — which became a key hub for aviation operations, supporting routine maintenance, daily inspections, and regular equipment overhauls.
Aviation had now become more than just a support function; it was an essential pillar of our operations.
The 2000s brought modernization. We invested in more capable aircraft such as the Leonardo AW139 helicopters — known for their versatility, safety, and ability to perform in challenging conditions. During this time, we also invested in Boeing 737s and 767s for long-range and high-capacity missions such as shuttling employees and contractors between major operational hubs across Saudi Arabia and internal destinations, moving critical equipment and supplies efficiently across long distances to support our drilling and refining operations, as well as emergency response in remote areas.
Our fleet includes Boeing 737s for personnel transport.
Reaching new heights
In 2023, Aramco spun off its aviation unit into a separate subsidiary called Mukamalah Aviation, a move designed to give our aviation operations more autonomy, agility, and commercial potential. A year later, it was rebranded as Aloula Aviation, a wholly owned Aramco subsidiary. The Arabic word ‘Aloula’, meaning ‘the first one’, honors its legacy as Saudi Arabia's first civil aviation operator.
The rebranding wasn't just cosmetic. It reflected a strategic shift toward becoming a standalone aviation services company, offering services beyond Aramco’s internal needs. While continuing to serve as our dedicated aviation partner, Aloula Aviation has expanded its client base to include government agencies, medical evacuation services, and corporate clients across the energy, infrastructure, and logistics services.
For these clients, Aloula provides a range of charter aviation services — from offshore crew transport and executive travel to aerial surveys and emergency response missions — all backed by the same safety, reliability, and operational standards that have long defined its work with Aramco.
As of 2025, Aloula Aviation manages and operates a diverse fleet of over 60 aircraft, including passenger and executive transportation, special missions, and rotary-wing (helicopters), serving more than 1 million passengers annually through 12 domestic airports and more than 300 helipads, both onshore and offshore, across the Kingdom, which makes it one of the largest corporate aviation fleets in the region. In addition to operating these aircraft from its headquarters in Dammam, Aloula also maintains its vast fleet in hangars across a number of locations in Saudi Arabia.
In 2024, our Aviation Department was rebranded as Aloula Aviation, a wholly owned Aramco subsidiary.
Safety, innovation, and service
Aloula Aviation prides itself on maintaining world-class safety standards. In 2022, it earned the prestigious ARGUS Platinum Rating — a globally-recognized aviation certification, which places Aloula among the top 5% of charter operators worldwide committed to safety and operational excellence.
It is also certified by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia as well as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a ‘repair station,’ meaning it can perform maintenance and inspections on FAA-registered aircraft and parts in-house — a critical capability in the aviation industry. The FAA, which is the U.S. civil aviation authority, grants this certification only to those operators that meet strict international standards.
In addition to operational excellence, Aloula Aviation is equipped with comprehensive maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) capabilities. Aloula performs in-house maintenance for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including scheduled inspections, component replacements, and heavy checks. In July 2024, Aloula Aviation was certified by Leonardo, one of the world’s largest helicopter manufacturers, as an Authorized Service Center in Saudi Arabia, which means it is certified to carry out maintenance and repairs not just on its own fleet but also third-party operators across the region, offering specialized support for Leonardo’s AW139 helicopters and other aircraft. Also, to address the expanding demand of maintenance services, Aloula Aviation is planning to expand its hangar space from 17,000 to 20,000 square meters.
With innovation driving its growth, Aloula continues to modernize its fleet. It operates AW 139 helicopters equipped with night vision and emergency response capabilities, and the Airbus H145 helicopters designed for harsh environments and offshore missions — featuring backup safety systems that are essential for safety and reliability in remote and offshore operations.
In June 2025, Aramco acquired from Leonardo two C-27 high performance multi-mission aircraft equipped with a modular firefighting system and 7,500-liter tanks that can be reloaded in under 10 minutes. Aloula is expected to begin operating them in 2027 — expanding its capabilities in emergency preparedness to be able to address large industrial fires and oil spills to the entire Middle East region.
Supporting our mission
So how does Aloula fit into the bigger picture? Quite simply, it helps Aramco stay agile.
Our Upstream and Downstream operations depend on rapid, reliable access to remote and offshore sites — and Aloula delivers that access. Whether it’s flying emergency crews during unplanned shutdowns, ensuring logistical support for site inspections, delivering time-critical equipment or even offering executive aviation services for high-level engagements, Aloula keeps the system running.
It also contributes to employee well-being and operational continuity. Quick crew rotations reduce fatigue, faster transport reduces downtime, and reliable medevac services offer peace of mind for employees working in isolated environments.
As our aviation operations continue to reach new frontiers, it’s worth reflecting on the journey. From a single-engine plane mapping the desert to a multi-aircraft fleet serving one of the world’s largest energy companies, the story of our aviation is one of vision, innovation, and transformation.
Now flying under the banner of Aloula, that journey continues — faster, higher, and more capable than ever.
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The material in this article is intended to be for general informational purposes only, and readers should not place undue reliance on the statements or opinions therein. Any information provided speaks only as of the date this content was published and Saudi Aramco undertakes no obligation to correct, update, or revise any statements or opinions made in or implied by this article.