flyadeal announces order for 10 Airbus A330neos

Toulouse: flyadeal, the Saudia Group’s fast growing low-cost airline, today entered a new phase of its growth strategy with an order for 10 Airbus A330neo wide-body aircraft.

With a three-year delivery schedule beginning in 2027, the new fleet of twin-aisle next generation aircraft will support flyadeal’s plans to operate further into Europe, Africa, Asia and Indian subcontinent, as well on high-demand services and to slot-constrained airports. Currently only an A320 narrowbody operator, flyadeal will also deploy its new A330-900 aircraft variant on dedicated Hajj and Umrah pilgrim flights.

The order was announced by flyadeal parent company Saudia Group and Airbus during a high-profile ceremony held at the European aircraft manufacturer’s home city of Toulouse in southern France. Presided by His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Saudia Group Director General, and Christian Scherer, Airbus CEO Commercial Aircraft, the event was attended by a host of dignitaries from France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said, “Together with Saudia Group, today marks yet another moment of pride for flyadeal embarking on a new chapter in our evolving story as Saudi Arabia’s youngest, ambitious and most dynamic low-cost airline that has developed into the Middle East’s fastest growing airline.

“With wide-body experience already under our belt through wet-leased aircraft for pilgrim and summer season flying for the third year running, we are excited about the prospect of operating our very own. The A330neos’ operational capability of around 10 hours flying range, fuel efficiency, cockpit commonality with our A320s and significant low-cost dynamics made this the ideal aircraft type to meet our mission requirements that include serving slot-constrained airports and high demand routes.”

The A330neos will have a capacity of around 400 seats in a two-class configuration that will include a premium cabin. They will contribute to phenomenal national growth targets, enabling flyadeal to capture opportunities and tap into new markets to attract more visitors to the Kingdom.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President Commercial Sales, said, “The A330neo’s proven versatility, new generation efficiency, and excellent passenger experience will perfectly support Saudia Group’s strategic growth and solidify their position as a global aviation leader. We look forward to seeing the versatile champion fly in flyadeal colours.”

flyadeal currently operates an all-Economy Class configured A320 family aircraft with a 38-strong fleet comprising 27 A320neos and 11 A320ceos that serve around 30 seasonal and year-round destinations. From bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the airline flies to towns and cities across Saudi Arabia, and destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and South Asia.

By 2030, flyadeal plans to triple its fleet size to over 100 aircraft and also increase network strength three-fold to more than 100 destinations ensuring the airline plays a key role in the national aviation growth strategy as outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 blueprint.

The ambitious objectives of Vision 2030 aim to increase the number of annual airline passengers to 300 million, including 150 million inbound tourists, and expand connectivity to over 250 destinations worldwide.