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Flyadeal

Aviation

Flyadeal Overview

Low-cost airline Flyadeal launched in 2017 as a subsidiary of Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national carrier.

Operating from its main base at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, the airline initially served domestic destinations and targeted Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, tourists and local travellers.

Flyadeal’s first route connected Jeddah to Riyadh, and by June 2022 it expanded to international destinations with flights from Dammam to Cairo.

Flyadeal serves a network of almost 30 destinations across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, with bases in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

Flyadeal operates around 35 aircraft and has more than 60 more on order, with plans to ultimately reach 100 aircraft by 2030. Its fleet consists mainly of Airbus models, including A320-200s and A320neos.

In 2018 Flyadeal won the CAPA Centre for Aviation’s “Airline Startup of the Year” award. This was followed by the “Best Low-Cost Airline Brand” and “Fastest Growing Airline Brand” awards in 2022.

The number of Flyadeal seats has consistently risen by around 5 percent each year to reach over 5 million in the first half of 2024.

Flyadeal News

Saudia will buy up to 20 A330 aircraft from Airbus

Saudia signs Airbus deal for up to 20 wide-body aircraft

Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national airline, has finalised a new agreement with European manufacturer Airbus to buy up to 20 new wide-body A330neo aircraft. Of these, 10 are firm orders for Flyadeal, the group’s budget airline, the carrier said in a statement. The delivery of these aircraft is set to start in 2027, with the last […]

The Saudi aviation authority has set a deadline of May 21 for bids from charter airline operators

Saudi Arabia invites bids for charter airline

Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator is inviting bids to set up a national charter airline. The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened the bid process on April 13 and has set a submission deadline of May 21, it said in a statement. All the bids will be opened on May 22. In February the regulator announced […]

Flyadeal fleet

Flyadeal to confirm wide-body order by year end

Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline Flyadeal is set to make a decision on its wide-body aircraft order before the end of the year, with up to 15 planes potentially joining its fleet. CEO Steven Greenway confirmed on Wednesday that the order will be made up of repurposed 787s from parent company Saudia or brand-new aircraft from […]

Saudia had placed an order for 50 of the pilotless jets before Lilium announced its intention to file for insolvency

Saudia to receive flying taxis despite Lilium’s insolvency

Saudi national carrier Saudia still plans to receive some of its 50-plane order of pilotless electric flying vehicles from Lilium despite the German company’s intention to file for insolvency.  “We are in close coordination with the Lilium leadership team. We are expecting to receive the first jets in the second half of 2026, as per […]

Passengers and a Saudia jet at Jeddah airport. The Jeddah-Riyadh route is the sixth most popular domestic airline route in the world

Saudia reports 10 percent increase in passengers

Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, transported more than nine million passengers during the third quarter of 2024, a 10 percent increase on the same period last year.  Saudia said it operated more than 49,500 flights, a 9 percent increase from last year, with an on-time performance rate of 87.8 percent.  Five million of its […]

Flyadeal increased its seat capacity and staff headcount

Flyadeal seat capacity rises with fleet expansion

Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline, reported a 5 percent year-on-year rise in seat capacity amid fleet expansion. The available seating capacity reached more than 5 million in the first half of 2024 as its fleet size increased 12 percent annually to 33 aircraft. The airline increased its routes to 75, up 8 percent year on […]

Saudi and Lilium signed an agreement this week for 50 air taxis with an option for 50 more

Saudia to buy 50 air taxis from Germany’s Lilium

Saudi national carrier Saudia has agreed to buy at least 50 pilotless electric flying vehicles from Germany’s Lilium in the region’s biggest “air taxi” deal so far.  The deal for what the industry calls electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is Saudia’s second major order this year. In May Saudia ordered 105 Airbus aircraft, […]

hajj saudi arabia

Saudia reports big rise in international passengers

Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia reported a 24 percent increase in international passengers to 9.1 million in the first half of 2024. There was also a 13 percent rise in the number of flights. The Hajj pilgrimage in June played a large part in the growth.  The number of passengers flying on domestic routes rose […]