During Future Aviation Forum taking place this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the state-owned holding company Saudia Group has signed an agreement for 105 A320neo family aircraft, consisting of 12 A320neo and 93 A321neo, which will be allocated to both Saudia and its low-cost subsidiary, Flyadeal.
With this order, the backlog of aircraft pending delivery to Saudia Group from Airbus now stands at 144 A320neo.
«Saudia has ambitious operational objectives to meet growing demand. We are increasing flights and seat capacity across our existing 100+ destinations on four continents, with plans for further expansion. The progress of Saudi Vision 2030 is attracting more visits, tourists, entrepreneurs, and pilgrims each year. This motivated our decision to secure this significant deal, which will create jobs, increase local content, and contribute to the national economy,» said H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group.
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business, noted that this new order «will enable Saudia Group’s strategy to advance the Kingdom’s aviation capabilities while enabling both airlines to benefit from the A320neo Family’s exceptional efficiency, superior economics, highest level of passenger comfort as well as lower fuel-burn and emissions.»
With investments in airport infrastructure as well as in its airlines, Saudi Arabia aims to achieve a target of 150 million tourists by the year 2030.
Saudia’s current fleet consists of 162 aircraft: 37 Boeing 777-300ER; 37 A320; 35 A330-300; 13 Boeing 787-9; 8 Boeing 787-10; 7 A321neo; 15 A321; 4 Boeing 777-200LRF; 2 Boeing 747-400F; 2 Boeing 747-400; 1 A330-200; and 1 A318 ACJ, the latter being used for VIP transport. Flyadeal, on the other hand, operates 21 A320neo, 11 A320, two A330-200, and one A330-300.
