flynas (XY, Riyadh) is planning to finalize its selection for an order for up to 100 new aircraft later this year chief executive officer Paul Byrne has told Bloomberg news.
In an interview held during the Bahrain Airshow last week, Byrne said the Saudi LCC was looking at ordering sixty aircraft over the next five years with options for forty more. The aircraft will replace its existing fleet of A320-200s which will come off lease over the next six years. Among the options under consideration are the A320neo from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac), the B737 MAX from Boeing (BOE, Washington National), and the A220-300 from Bombardier Aerospace (BBA, Montréal Trudeau).
“We’re talking to Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier about purchasing or leasing depending on which is the best deal for us,” he said. “If we were to change from Airbus to Boeing or Bombardier, that will be a big move for us but its not as dramatic as it sounds.”
At present, the carrier operates an all-Airbus fleet of twenty-six A320-200s on scheduled flights throughout Saudi Arabia as well as to neighbouring Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan. Through its flynas Hajj & Umrah unit, the carrier also operates both domestic and international pilgrimage charter flights using wet-leased widebody aircraft exclusively.
Saudi Arabia is in the process of licensing two more operators - SaudiGulf Airlines (SGQ, Dammam) and Al Maha Airways (Riyadh) - ahead of their delayed debut in the local market later this year. Following lengthy delays, Riyadh has now said it expects SaudiGulf to have completed its certification and launch requirements by late March/early April.
