Arab News, Tue, Mar 19, 2024 | Ramadan 9, 1445
Flynas increases passenger capacity by 25%
Saudi Arabia:
Travelers to Saudi Arabia will be able to enjoy greater flight availability
thanks to the Kingdom’s flynas airline increasing its capacity by 25 percent.
In a release, the firm noted this came as it
completed the acquisition of two Airbus A320neo airplanes, indicating improved
operational capabilities.
This will allow for more than 1.2 million seats
for international and domestic flights during the month of Ramadan.
The airline previously acquired three A320neo
planes, expanding its fleet to a total of 63 aircraft in December 2023.
Last year alone, flynas received delivery of 18
jets of the same model.
With these deliveries, the Saudi low-cost airline
has more than doubled the size of its all-Airbus fleet, increasing it by over
100 percent in less than two years. The company has boosted its A320neo aircraft
capacity by more than 73 percent to 46 planes.
Additionally, the airline’s fleet includes four
A330 wide-body aircraft to enhance operational capacity in serving pilgrims
during holy months.
These acquisitions are part of an order for 120
aircraft from Airbus, totaling over SR32 billion ($8.5 billion), as part of a
plan to increase new aircraft orders to 250. In a release, flynas stated that
this initiative aligns with the National Civil Aviation Strategy, aiming to
expand the number of international destinations linked to the Kingdom to 250.
The strategy also targets reaching 330 million
passengers and attracting 100 million tourists annually by 2030.
Currently, flynas operates over 70 domestic and
international destinations with over 1,500 weekly flights. The airline aims to
expand its reach to 165 destinations, in line with the objectives of the Saudi
Vision 2030.
The carrier recently participated in ITB Berlin
2024, one of the world’s largest travel trade shows.
During the event, flynas announced plans to
operate new flights between Jeddah and Berlin, with flights between the two
cities on a thrice weekly basis commencing on Sept. 4.
This falls within the framework of the company’s
plans to have “more network expansion in Europe,” a release said at the time.