Suadi low-cost carrier flynas announced yesterday it was boosting its network to add more capacity for the 2023 summer season. The Middle East's leading low-cost airline said it was adding ten new destinations and routes in Asia and Europe this summer season.

New destinations from Riyadh and Dammam

From its base in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH), flynas is launching four new destinations. These new routes are headed to destinations in four countries: Male in the Maldives, Yerevan in Armenia, Antalya in Turkey, and Tivat in Montenegro.

From the airline's other bases in the Saudi cities of Dammam and Jeddah, six new routes are being added for the summer season. These are from Dammam King Fahd International (DMM) to Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman, Istanbul and Trabzon in Turkey, and Tivat in Montenegro. From Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International (JED), flynas will be adding routes to Salalah and the Turkish destination of Bodrum.

Expanding the network and adding new destinations is part of the "We Connect the World to the Kingdom" initiative being undertaken by flynas. The low-cost carrier (LCC) said it wants to cement its leading position as the best low-cost airline in the Middle East and one of the top 10 airlines of its category worldwide. Bander Almohanna, CEO of flynas, said:

"This approach is in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the civil aviation strategy to reach 330 million passengers, 250 international destinations, and 100 million tourists annually."

Adding capacity to meet growing demand

As well as launching new destinations, flynas is resuming seasonal routes previously operated in the summer. These are Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna and Salzburg (Austria), Baku (Azerbaijan), Tbilisi and Batumi (Georgia), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt), Trabzon and Bodrum (Turkey) and Salalah in Oman. flynas said there would be 20 summer destinations this year.

During 2022, flynas posted record growth in performance and operations, with passenger numbers climbing to 8.7 million, a jump of 91% compared to the previous year. It also operated 66,000 thousand flights, 46% more than in 2021. The airline is adding more aircraft to meet its growth targets, with the CEO adding:

"flynas is keen to continue growing in its operations through upscaling its fleet by 50% during the current year 2023 compared to 2021. The number of aircraft increased to 44 in February after taking delivery of the first A320neo out of 19 aircraft of the same model to be delivered during the next ten months."

According to ch.aviation.com, flynas has an all-Airbus fleet of 48 aircraft, including four A320-200s wet-leased from Avion Express Malta. Its aircraft include 13 Airbus A320-200s, 29 A320-200neos, and two A330-300s. The same listing shows flynas has undelivered orders for 56 aircraft, including 44 A320neos, 10 A321XLRs, and two A330-300s.

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For comparison, the A320-200s are predominantly configured in a two-class layout of 164 seats, with eight in business and 156 in economy, the latter at a pitch of 30-32 inches. The A3320neos are configured in an all-economy layout of 174 seats, with a slightly more generous pitch of 33 inches.

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