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FLYDEAL, one of the newest and fastest-growing low-cost airlines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, has announced a landmark order for 51 Airbus narrow-body aircraft to fuel the next phase of its expansion plans.
The historic agreement for 12 Airbus A320neos and 39 larger capacity A321neos was signed as part of a wider announcement by parent company Saudia Group for a record 105 aircraft order – the largest in Saudi aviation history. The announcement was made on the opening day of the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh on May 20, 2024.
Saleh Al-Jasser, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, presided over the official signing by His Excellency Eng Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, and Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice-President Sales.
Saleh Al-Jasser explained that flyadeal’s new fleet will support growth targets that will see the airline triple in size from the current 32 all-Airbus A320neo and ceo aircraft to more than 100 by 2030, with its network reach expanding from 30 domestic and international destinations to more than 100 within six years.
Meanwhile, Steven Greenway, Chief Executive Officer of flyadeal, said today’s historic announcement is a clear statement of intent of flyadeal’s goals as we prepare for the next phase of dynamic growth beyond 2026 when we begin taking deliveries of the new aircraft.
“flyadeal has exciting plans for the new fleet, particularly the A321neos, which will give us the flexibility to serve high demand routes and slot-constrained airports with up to 240 seats, representing 30% more capacity than our current 186-seat A320s. And of course, these new generation, environmentally friendly aircraft will offer optimum fuel efficiency, very much in line with the Kingdom’s sustainability drive and Saudi Vision 2030 to build a vibrant aviation industry,” he said.
Steven Greenway concluded that flyadeal’s current fleet comprises 21 A320neo and 11 A320ceo variants operating from three hubs in the Kingdom-Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam. The airline is adding an average of one aircraft per month from an existing order until the end of 2025. [sources/photo special]
