Flyadeal To Order 787s Or A330s By Year-End

Saudi Arabian LCC Flyadeal, which currently operates a single wet-leased Airbus A330, is planning to order A330s or Boeing 787s by the end of 2024.

“We're looking at an order, hopefully to be announced by the end of the year,” Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway told Aviation Week at Routes World in Bahrain.

Flyadeal operates 35 A320s, plus the wet-leased A330 which it uses for religious charter work. Greenway is looking to expand this activity, as well as introducing widebodies into its scheduled operations where needed. “There’s a market out there, and we’re going after it,” he said.

The two widebody types under evaluation are the A330 and 787, because the A350 would be “too big.” The widebodies will be configured with a small premium cabin, but Flyadeal’s focus will be on cabin density, with Greenway likening the airline to a bus service.

Greenway said each of the two types has its advantages. Flyadeal’s A320s make it easier to transition its crews to the A330, with just 10 days of difference training. Equally, Flyadeal parent company Saudia already operates 787s, but there is “no chance” of taking aircraft from their order. “This is going to be on top of what they’ve [Saudia] has already done,” he said.

By next year, Flyadeal will already operate “a number” of widebodies, because Greenway plans to bring in additional aircraft on wet lease while waiting for the ordered aircraft to arrive.

This forms part of Flyadeal’s plan to grow from 35 to 88 aircraft within the next four years. Three more A320s are scheduled for delivery before year-end, and aircraft will be arriving at the rate of one a month over the next four years, netting out at 88 aircraft with the retirement of its A320ceos.

In the first quarter of 2026, Flyadeal will also receive the first of 29 A321s, which will be configured with 240 seats. The widebodies will be used to serve destinations outside of the A321’s range.

Flyadeal’s network is currently 80% domestic and 20% international. As the new aircraft arrive, this balance will shift to 65% domestic and 35% international. All routes within a 5-hr. range are under evaluation, but Greenway said the focus will be on network footprint and depth, rather than maximizing its number of “pins in a map.”

European destinations are “on the list,” but not top of the list. Greenway sees Europe as “aviation unfriendly,” because of its taxes and regulations. Instead, Flyadeal will focus its growth on the Gulf Cooperation Council, because there is “so much more growth to be had.”