On 23 April 2025, the Saudia Group and Airbus held a signing ceremony in Toulouse in which the group disclosed an order for ten A330-900s for its flyadeal low-cost subsidiary. The order was booked in January of this year and was in the books as "undisclosed".
The deal marks the first widebody-order for flyadeal and has been in the planning for a while. In October 2024, Scramble reported on the widebody plans and that the company was deciding between the A330-900 and the Boeing B787.
Flyadeal currently operates a fleet of eleven A320s and 27 A320neos. It also currently wet-leases a single A330-200 from GullivAir and an A330-300 from Air Anka. The LCC also has open orders with Airbus for 54 A321neos.
Saudi low-cost carrier flyadeal (F3, Jeddah International) will soon place an order for ten A330-900N aircraft, according to Reuters. As previously reported in ch-aviation, the airline had decided to place a widebody order but was undecided about the type. Aside from a single wet-leased A330-200, flyadeal has exclusively relied on Airbus narrowbodies to date.
flyadeal is expected to place the order within weeks, which will also include options for another ten A330s. If placed, the order represents another blow for Boeing, whose B787-9 type was under consideration but reportedly ultimately dropped.
In September 2024, Ibrahim Al Omar, director general of Saudia Group, which operates Saudia (SV, Jeddah International) and flyadeal, discussed expansion plans and said the group hoped to have 300 aircraft at its two carriers by 2032. Aside from the A330-200, wet leased from Jordan Aviation, flyadeal currently operates eleven A320-200s and twenty-five A320-200Ns. According to ch-aviation fleets data, it also has orders for eighteen A320-200N and thirty-nine A321-200N.
Meanwhile, local low-cost competitor flynas (XY, Riyadh) signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus in July 2024 for fifteen A330neo and 75 incremental A320neo family aircraft. The MOU also included options for 15 more A330neo and 55 more A320neo aircraft.
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals include increasing the number of airline passengers moving through the country to 300 million annually, including 100 million inbound tourists, and expanding connectivity to over 250 destinations from Saudi Arabia's 29 commercial airports.
In terms of the breakdown, Saudia will receive fifty-four A321neo while flyadeal will benefit from thirty-nine A321neo and twelve A320neo.
"The new aircraft directly support Saudia Group's objectives to connect the world with the Kingdom, aligning with several key pillars of Saudi Vision 2030," it said in a statement. "These include the transportation and logistics objectives to increase guests’ capacity to 330 million and expand destinations to 250 by 2030, and the tourism objective to attract 150 million visits by 2030. This is in addition to the Hajj and Umrah objective to contribute to the increase of Umrah pilgrim capacity to 30 million by 2030."
No engine selection or delivery dates were disclosed.
ch-aviation fleets data shows Saudia operates a narrowbody fleet of thirty-seven A320-200s, fifteen A321-200s, and seven A321-200NX with outstanding orders for ten more A320neo (destined for flyadeal), thirteen more A321neo, and fifteen A321-200NY(XLR)s. For its part, flyadeal operates eleven A320-200s and twenty-one A320neo.
Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal Celebrates Three Airbus A320neo Deliveries
Saudia-owned low-cost carrier (LCC) flyadeal is celebrating its fourth anniversary on September 23, 2021, with the delivery of three brand new A320neos from Airbus. The Middle East’s fastest-growing airline shared details on its social media channels on September 15, 2021.
flyadeal is a Saudi Arabian LCC. Photo: Airbus
Speaking about how it exceeded growth expectations during challenging times, flyadeal says that its game-changing initiative has allowed it to become Saudia Arabia’s first successful LCC. The decision to create the King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED)-based airline was inspired by the Saudi Vision 2030.
What is Saudi Vision 2030?
First announced by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on April 25, 2016, Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic plan to wean Saudia Arabia away from its dependence on oil. Saudia Arabia hopes that by diversifying its economy and developing public sectors, it can become less dependent on fossil fuels for revenue. Critical goals for Saudi Vision 2030 include:
Reinforcing economic and investment activities
Increasing non-oil international trade
Developing tourism
Promoting a softer and more secular image of the Kingdom
The vision also includes massive military spending aimed at the Kingdom being able to manufacture its own military equipment and ammunition.
flyadeal is targeting young people
During an event at the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, to mark the arrival of the third new Airbus A320neo Director General Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, His Excellency Eng. Alomar said:
“flyadeal is a prime example of the Saudi vision 2030. It demonstrates the potential of the Kingdom’s aviation sector. Lower fares from flyadeal will enable more people to travel, encouraging trade and tourism.”
When flyadeal launched in 2017, it did so exclusively using digital and social media channels to demonstrate the fast-growing potential of the marketplace. flyadeal thinks that its youthful inviting brand and vibrant purple and lime-colored livery will appeal to young people.
When speaking about flyadeal’s approach in a company statement Con Korfiatis, CEO of flyadeal, said:
“We are designed for today’s price-conscious and tech-savvy customer and, in a market where 80% of the population is less than 40 and has at least two mobile phones. This is a country that is ripe for technological innovation and e-commerce.”
When flyadeal launched, it did so with a small fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft offering inexpensive seats on flights between Jeddah and King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh. In less than a year, flyadeal had upped its weekly flights to 392, becoming the second-largest airline on the region’s highest traffic route.
flyadeal’s exceptional growth within the Saudi domestic market now sees the airline operating over 600 flights with a fleet of 15 Airbus A320 aircraft. In July, flyadeal began international operations with a new route between Riyadh and Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates. The Jeddah-based LLC has more international routes planned but is yet to announce them.
flyadeal will offer more international destinations
Regarding more international destinations, these will probably start to materialize as flyadeal receives more A320neos from Airbus. According to ch-aviation flyadeal now has four Airbus A320neos with a further 27 due to be delivered before 2025. flyadeal also has an option to purchase a further 20 A320neos from Airbus.
Currently, flyadeal only has one international destination. Image: flyadeal
When speaking about the order with the European planemaker at the Paris Air Show in 2019, flyadeal CEO Con Korfiatis said:
“The Airbus A320neo aircraft features a brand-new seating concept, providing greater legroom and comfort for our customers. It features 60% more overhead storage space and a new ambient mood lighting concept. It will also deliver a more fuel-efficient performance and give us the range to open up more new destinations.”
flyadeal is currently operating 18 domestic routes within Saudi Arabia and is responsible for many firsts in the Kingdom, including employment opportunities for Saudi women to become pilots, cabin crew, or airport managers.
flyadeal Takes Delivery Of Its 1st A320neo From An Order For 30
Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal just took delivery of a brand new Airbus A320neo. While the aircraft is technically the airline’s second A320neo, it is the first coming from an order of 30, which is to be delivered over the next three years. Let’s take a look at the new aircraft and its journey to Jeddah.
The A320neo is technically the airline’s second, with the first coming to the airline pre-owned in 2020. Photo: Airbus
From Toulouse to Jeddah
The brand new Airbus A320neo registered HZ-FAN departed Airbus’ assembly facilities in Toulouse on July 15th at 20:36. With the evening departure, the aircraft’s six-and-a-half-hour flight to Jeddah was an overnight journey, seeing an arrival in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the next day just after 04:00 local time.
The A320neo appears to have taken a fairly indirect flight path towards its new home. For reasons unknown, the jet appears to have gone out of its way to fly through a specific part of Austria’s airspace before heading towards Saudi Arabia. It appears that the jet also made a point of avoiding Greek airspace (as well as the air above Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.)
The first A320neo of a 30-aircraft order
flyadeal’s brand new A320neo is the first out of 30 to be delivered in the next three years. However, the 30 A320neos that were ordered were part of an even larger deal that was announced at the 2019 Paris Airshow.
This larger order consists of a total of 65 Airbus A320 family jets ordered by flyadeal’s parent company, Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia). With 30 A320neos going to flyadeal, the remaining aircraft (20 A321neos and 15 A321XLRs) will go to Saudia.
While it’s the first A320neo of the 30-aircraft order, it’s flyadeal’s second A320neo. The first joined the fleet in August of 2020 through a lease with Avolon. This aircraft, registered HZ-FAL, had been originally ordered by Tianjin Airlines but was not taken up.
Airbus notes that flyadeal’s A320neo is configured with 186 seats in an all-economy class layout, calling it the ideal aircraft for the airline to “grow and expand its domestic and regional network.”
In total, flyadeal now has a fleet of 13 Airbus A320s. As noted previously, two are A320neos while the other 11 are A320ceo variants. The A320ceos themselves are relatively young, having an average sub-fleet age of just 3.3 years.
flyadeal’s older A320neo is about one and a half years old, while the brand new jet had its first test flight at the start of June 2021. AIB Family Flight data shows that more A320neos are on the way. The aircraft registered HZ-FAO took its third test flight out of Toulouse on July 15th, while HZ-FAM took its second test flight on July 16th.
Flyadeal Airbus A320 Left With Large Hole After Suspected Drone Strike
A suspected drone attack on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia has left an Airbus A320 with a gaping hole in its side. The Airbus was on lease to young Saudi low-cost airline flyadeal, and was one of only 12 aircraft in its fleet. As such, the ambitious airline will sorely miss its capacity while, and if, it is being repaired.
A flyadeal A320 has been severely damaged in an attack on Abha Airport. Photo: Flyadeal
Drone attack engulfs A320 in flames
An aircraft belonging to Middle East airline flyadeal has been seriously damaged in a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian airport. Abha regional airport, which sits around 75 miles from the border with Yemen, was struck by a drone earlier today, leaving the Airbus A320 engulfed in flames.
The fire seems to have been brought under control relatively quickly, with no significant damage to the plane from the blaze. However, images circulating on social media show a large hole in the aircraft’s fuselage.
According to data at FlightRadar24.com, the A320 on the ground at the time of the attack was HZ-FAB, a 3.5-year-old A320-200 on lease to flyadeal. Named Suhail, the aircraft was delivered to the airline new in September 2017.
The narrowbody had been previously flying multiple short-haul services a day, connecting destinations including Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh and Tabuk. Most recently it flew into Abha from Dammam this morning, arriving at AHB at 12:30 local time. Judging by the damage visible on the images, it won’t be flying again for some time.
The A320 had flown in from Damman earlier today. Image: FlightRadar24.com
Rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack. The Iran-aligned Houthi group said four drones were used in the attack, which was launched in retaliation for airstrikes and other actions in Yemen.
Consequences for flyadeal
The damage to the aircraft is likely to throw off flyadeal’s plans for the coming summer season. The airline, launched only three years ago, has high hopes for expansion in the near future.
Already it is the second-largest domestic carrier in Saudi Arabia. Speaking today at CAPA Live, CEO Con Korfiatis noted that the airline has experienced excellent growth, even during the pandemic, and was setting its sights on international operations sometime later this year. He said,
“Today as we stand with 12 aircraft, we took our first NEO last year, we’re about to reach a 10 million passenger milestone in terms of the number of people we’ve carried. We still are a domestic operator, but we do have designs on being international sometime this year.
“We’ve become in that timeframe the second-largest airline domestically, which really for the period we’ve been around is really quite an amazing feat.”
The plane was well utilized by the airline on a daily basis. Data: RadarBox.com
While having one aircraft out of action for a larger airline is an easy issue to absorb, with a fleet of only 12, flyadeal is going to miss its capacity dearly. In the last 12 months, according to data at RadarBox.com, HZ-FAB has operated 1,441 flights, and is averaging 128 hours of utilization per month.
It remains to be seen if the aircraft can be repaired and put back into service for the ambitious low-cost airline.
flyadeal (F3, Jeddah) took delivery of its first A320-200N, HZ-FAL (msn 9554), following a period of four months in storage at London Stansted, Skyliner-Aviation reported.
The Airbus narrowbody departed from Toulouse Blagnac on March 26, 2020, under its temporary registration OE-ILD, but was subsequently stored first in Shannon and then at Stansted. It was finally delivered to Jeddah on August 10 but has yet to operate any revenue flights in Saudi Arabia, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.
According to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module, the aircraft is leased from Avolon. The airline has yet to publish schedules for the new variant.
The low-cost carrier is wholly-owned by Saudia (SV, Jeddah) and currently operates a fleet of eleven A320-200s. In late 2018, it announced its intention to order thirty B737-8s only to drop the plan in July 2019, after the grounding of the B737 MAX. It then secured thirty A320neo from lessors with options for a further 20 transferred from Saudia.
EC-LLJ (msn 4661), EC-LVO (msn 5535), and EC-LVU (msn 5616) were ferried from Barcelona El Prat to Jeddah on November 12, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The three Airbus narrowbodies were retired from Vueling's own operations on October 27 and 28 and were subsequently repainted into a hybrid livery featuring flyadeal's logo.
The three aircraft have yet to be deployed into revenue service with the Saudi LCC. The wet-lease will continue through the end of March for the duration of the Winter 2019/20 season, flyadeal Chief Executive Con Korfiatis told ch-aviation in an e-mailed statement.
flyadeal's existing in-house fleet includes eleven A320-200s. The LCC is a subsidiary of Saudia (SV, Jeddah) and operates exclusively domestic flights.
In a statement issued on Sunday, July 7, the Saudia Group LCC said it had firm ordered 30 of the jets with options for 20 more. The aircraft, whose deliveries will start in 2021, are sourced from sister carrier Saudia's A320neo Family order with Airbus which, during the 2019 Paris Air Show, was expanded from thirty-five firm order jets to as many as 100 including 35 options.
"This order will result in flyadeal operating an all-Airbus A320 fleet in the future," it said.
The incoming aircraft will be used to bolster the LCC's domestic Saudi as well as international network operations. It currently operates eleven A320ceo all of which are leased.
Speculation in the Saudi media had pointed to the move given prolonged uncertainty over if and when the B737 MAX would return to service. Last year, flyadeal tentatively committed to thirty B737-8s with options for twenty more.
