Flynas Grows European Network, Unveils Madinah Plans

flynas airline Airbus A320 aircraft landing
Credit: Trevisan Aviation Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Saudi Arabian carrier flynas is set to expand its European route map from Jeddah by introducing flights to the capital cities of Belgium, Germany and Turkey—and has revealed more details about its new base in Madinah.

The airline will commence operations from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) to Ankara Esenboga Airport on Nov. 7; Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) on Dec. 1; and Brussels Airport (BRU) on Dec. 2. All three routes will utilize Airbus A320neo aircraft.

The move sees flynas increase the number of European destinations served from JED to nine, adding to the existing flights to Baku, Azerbaijan; Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen and Trabzon, Turkey; Marseille, France; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Tbilisi, Georgia.

According to schedules filed with OAG Schedules Analyser, Ankara will receive one flight per week on Tuesdays, while Berlin and Brussels will each be served three times per week. Flights to BER will be on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and to BRU on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Flynas has been ramping up international operations from Jeddah in recent months, supported by the Saudi Air Connectivity Program. Flights have been launched to the likes of Almaty, Kazakhstan; Baghdad; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Casablanca, Morocco; and Giza, Egypt. On Oct. 9, the carrier also inaugurated two new routes to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa from both JED and Riyadh.

Flynas is additionally preparing plans to open a new base at Madinah's Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED), becoming the airline’s fourth in Saudi Arabia. The LCC has confirmed that flights will start from Dec. 1 with the launch of seven new routes.

Service will begin to two domestic destinations, Abha and Tabuk, and five international points—Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Dubai and Istanbul. Existing routes to MED from Cairo, Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh will also continue.

“The operations from our new base will start with two aircraft as a first stage, and we are planning to increase our operations and fleet size and to launch more destinations to achieve our strategy,” flynas CEO and Managing Director Bander Almohanna says. “The launch of these routes from our latest base coincides with taking delivery of new aircraft to further upscale our fleet.”

On Oct. 5, flynas confirmed it had taken delivery of five A320neos since the start of September, taking its all-Airbus fleet to 56 aircraft. Eleven A320neos have now been added to the fleet this year, with a further eight scheduled for delivery before the end of 2023.

Almohanna says the growth aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to increase the number of airline passengers a year to 330 million by 2030.

David Casey

David Casey is Editor in Chief of Routes, the global route development community's trusted source for news and information.