This huge order, one of the largest aircraft deals of the year so far, is in addition to existing deliveries destined for the Saudia Group.
Gordon Smith
Saudia Group has placed a major new order for Airbus aircraft. The company includes Saudi Arabia’s national airline and its low-cost subsidiary flyadeal.
The agreement covers an additional 105 aircraft and complements existing orders between the airline and the European manufacturer.
Of the 105 units, 93 will be the largest variant of the A321neo. A dozen more will be the smaller A320neo. The agreement brings the total order book at Airbus for the Saudia Group to 144 A320neo Family aircraft.
The company flies an all-Airbus fleet, but its largest twin-aisle planes are manufactured by Boeing.
The agreement was announced Monday at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh. It was not immediately clear how the 105 planes would be distributed within the airline group. Flyadeal is currently an A320-only operator, however, it has A321s in the pipeline.
Ibrahim Al-Omar, CEO of Saudia Group, said the deal would support its “ambitious operational goals to meet growing demand.”
He highlighted the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 as a key motivation for the order. The project aims to attract more than 150 million tourists by the end of the decade, but it has not been without controversy.
Skift recently sat down with Steven Greenway, the new CEO of flyadeal. He outlined the challenges and opportunities associated with such ambitious growth.
Performance of the airline sector stock index so far this year
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