RIYADH: In a further boost to the Kingdom’s localization drive, a team of Saudi engineers and cabin maintenance technicians carried out upgrades on the first suites of Saudia’s Boeing 777 aircraft fleet. The project has been initiated by Saudia Technic, a maintenance, repair, and overhaul solutions provider, in collaboration with the US-based Seat Air Systems, said a press release issued on Tuesday. The subsidiary of Saudia Group has completed the upgrade for aircraft HZ-AK37, with plans to upgrade the remaining nine aircraft of the same model. The director general of Saudia, Ibrahim Al-Omar, commended the project and described it as the beginning of a new era of localization of the aviation industry in line with Vision 2030 plans. According to the press release, the modernization of the first suite has been completed while adhering to international standards which consequently enabled Saudia to obtain the necessary accreditation and licenses from the General Authority of Civil Aviation as well as the Federal Aviation Administration to further develop and upgrade the remaining aircraft. It said a modern workshop was equipped at the firm’s headquarters at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to carry out the project. The procedures included changing the mechanism of fixing and moving the door of the first-class suites by adding another latch and raising the number of motor passes to allow a steady and smooth movement of the door. It also entailed installing an advanced, high-quality metal gear device and connecting it horizontally so that it is not affected by the load and weight of the door on it. This resulted in reducing the overall weight of the aircraft and boosting the level of efficiency, which, in return, will contribute to reducing the operational cost, the press release added.