PARIS–Saudi Arabian LCC flynas has firmed an order for 30 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft in an agreement signed at the Paris Air Show June 19.
The move takes the airline’s total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo aircraft, including 10 A321XLRs.
Flynas operates 45 A320-family aircraft on its scheduled network, along with four A330s which are used for religious pilgrimages. However, the airline recently detailed ambitious plans to grow its fleet to 250 aircraft over the next few years.
CEO Bandar Almohanna said the A320neo-family offers “unmatched benefits” that allow flynas to “provide unique travel experiences at low-cost.”
The LCC has three main bases—at Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam—underpinning its network of 120 routes across 27 countries. It has launched 15 new routes this year, building on 30 route launches in 2022. VP network planning and scheduling Ben Burge said the A321XLR would enable the airline to extend its network into new markets.
“The XLR will come later on in the decade, and that will allow us to go a bit further still, such as Ireland, maybe Helsinki [Finland] and northern UK,” he said. “It will also get further into Asia.”
The expansion plans form part of Saudi Arabia’s aviation growth strategy, which aims to boost the market to 330 million passengers by 2030.
In 2022, flynas carried almost 8.7 million passengers, putting it 15% ahead of 2019. During Q1 2023, passenger numbers were 2.4 million, representing a year-over-year rise of some 26%.
The airline is an all-Airbus operator and was the first in Saudi Arabia to acquire the A320neo. The carrier operates a fleet of 32 A320neos, 13 A320ceos and four A330-300s.
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