Saudi Arabia: Saudia Group has expanded its historic deal with Airbus to include an additional 20 aircrafts for its Saudia and Flyadeal airlines. 

The deal is set to strengthen diplomatic ties, increase economic growth, and enhance the group’s global reach through this expansion.

In May, Saudia Group made history by signing the largest aircraft deal in the Kingdom’s aviation history with Airbus, securing 105 A320neo and A321neo aircraft.

Speaking at Airbus’s facility in Toulouse, Saudia Group’s Chief Marketing Officer Khaled Tash told Arab News: “We are here at Airbus celebrating not only our historic deal that we announced last May — 105 aircraft from Airbus, 54 from Saudia, and 51 for Flyadeal — but we are also here to expand our partnership and add another 20 aircraft from the A330 (A330neo) family, 10 of them for Flyadeal and 10 confirmed for Saudia.”

Saudia Group hosted a delegation featuring diplomats, executives, and media representatives on an official visit to Airbus headquarters to commemorate the original deal and expand upon it with the addition of 20 new aircraft.

The expansion of Saudia’s fleet will further its mission in contributing to Vision 2030 goals, which include transporting 330 million visitors, attracting 150 million tourists, serving 30 million pilgrims, and connecting to over 250 destinations all by 2030.

Highlighting how the new addition to Saudia Group’s fleet will affect the sector, Tash said: “We say that our mission in Saudia has changed over the years and evolved not only to connect Saudi Arabia to the world but also to bring the world to Saudi Arabia.

“Aircraft are at the core of enabling us to deliver on our ambition and to enable all the ambitions of tourism, sports, entertainment, cultural exchange, and business exchange between Saudi Arabia and the world.”

The new deal will also enhance operations of annual Hajj flights and year-round Umrah services, extending their reach further into Southeast Asia, Africa, and potential growth to Europe.

Flyadeal expansion

As part of Saudia Group’s 105 aircraft deal with Airbus, Flyadeal is set to acquire an additional 10 A330-900neo aircraft, expanding its global reach beyond the region.

“We are purchasing 10 A330-900neos, they are wide-body aircraft, and that allows Flyadeal to fly very far, almost 12 hours,” Steven Greenway, CEO of Flyadeal, told Arab News, adding: “We can get all the way down to, say, Manila, Indonesia, from the Kingdom.”

The CEO said the deal allows “more flexibility and expansion” of the airline’s network on a global basis.

“From a tourism and hospitality point of view, obviously being able to fly to more countries, more distant countries in particular, means that we can bring more people as tourists into the Kingdom,” he said, adding: “Our current operations are predominantly in the Middle East. These aircraft, I suppose, give us longer legs to be able to fly.”

‘A pivotal milestone’

An MoU was signed at the Toulouse factory between Saudia Group and Airbus to symbolize the expansion of the joint partnership.

The document was inked by Saleh Eid, vice president of fleet management at Saudia Group, and Benoit de Saint-Exupery, executive vice president of sales of commercial aircraft at Airbus.

Director General of Saudia Group, Ibrahim Al-Omar, gave the opening remarks and expressed the Group’s commitment to actively contributing to the goals set by Vision 2030.

“Today’s deal marks a pivotal milestone in our ambitious strategy to modernize and expand our fleet. It builds on last year’s historic deal with Airbus for 105 aircraft,” he added.

The additional purchase of 10 more aircraft dedicated to Flyadeal reaffirms the Group’s commitment to expanding their reach globally, creating jobs within and outside of the Kingdom, increasing Saudi tourism and creating more availability for travel in regions that Flyadeal hasn’t operated in previously.

In his remarks, Airbus’s Saint-Exupery said: “Saudia Group’s A330neo order for Flyadeal marks a key step in advancing the Kingdom’s aviation ambition to unlock long-haul markets and attract new customers

“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.”