Budget airline and Saudia subsidiary Flyadeal could purchase between 10 and 20 wide-body jets in an order worth up to USD 5 bn as it looks to expand its passenger capacity, CEO Steven Greenway tells Reuters. The airline is still “in the early stages” of mulling the order and is comparing the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330ne, with no formal competition between the aircraft manufacturers yet.

Does Flyadeal need the excess capacity? Although budget airlines have historically struggled with operating large aircrafts Greenway dismissed these concerns, highlighting the potential for increased seat capacity for popular destinations such as Dubai. The wide-body jets can seat up to 400 passengers in an all-economy configuration, almost twice the capacity of Flyadeal’s current 240-seater planes.

The order is part of Flyadeal’s long-term vision, which includes securing a minimum of 10 wide-body aircraft within the next 3-5 years, Greenway said.

REMEMBER- Saudia had placed the largest aircraft order in the Kingdom’s history in May, purchasing 105 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus — 54 for Saudia and 51 for Flyadeal — worth USD 19 bn. Saudia has set a goal to increase its passengers to 330 mn and expand its destinations to 250 by 2030.

IN OTHER AVIATION NEWS-

PIF-owned Riyadh Air has secured two new Asian partnerships, signing two separate MoUs with Air China and with Singapore Airlines on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dubai, it said in two separate statements here and here. The airline has been looking to expand its partnership network.

ALSO- The maiden flight between China’s Shenzhen and Riyadh took off on Monday, Xinhua reports. This was the fifth direct flight to the Middle East from Shenzhen and carried over 200 passengers mainly for business, service and travel. The other Middle Eastern routes include Cairo, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Tehran.

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