Saudi Arabia’s flynas has announced it will receive more than 100 Airbus airplanes over the next five years, with expected growth of its fleet to more than 160 airplanes by the end of 2030.
The scheduled delivery is part of its orders for 280 aircraft worth more than SR161bn ($44bn), one of the region’s largest purchase orders, making flynas the largest owner of single-aisle airplane orders in the Middle East.
The news emerged as the airline hosted a visit of Airbus senior management at its Riyadh headquarters, coinciding with flynas receiving a new Airbus A320neo airplane, bringing the total number of this type in the flynas fleet to 54.
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This is in line with the company’s strategic growth and expansion plan, launched under the slogan “We connect the world to the Kingdom”, in parallel with the objectives of the National Civil Aviation Strategy to enable national air carriers to contribute to connecting KSA with 250 international destinations, to accommodate 330m passengers, and to host 150m tourists yearly by 2030, including under the Pilgrim Experience Program (PEP) to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques.
The visiting Airbus delegation toured headquarters in Riyadh and reviewed the innovative solutions offered by the company. It met with senior airline executives for discussions on prospects for cooperation and strengthening their strategic relationship.
Bander Al-Muhanna, the chief executive and managing director of flynas, said: “We value the visit of the Airbus senior management, which reflects the position of flynas as a leading Saudi carrier at the global level and also reflects the importance of our long-term partnership that has strengthened the contribution of flynas to achieving national goals in the aviation industry”.
He pointed out the relationship between Airbus and the Saudi airline since its inception and said it further developed in 2016 after the signing of an agreement to purchase 120 aircraft.
He added that the partnership moved to a new level last year with the signing of an order to purchase 160 Airbus airplanes of the A320 and A330 wide-body types.
