Saudia Group has placed a firm order for 10 Airbus A330 Neos for its budget arm flyadeal, according to a press release published last week. The order — to give the airline its first wide-body jet — has an estimated value of more than USD 2 bn and includes options for 10 more aircraft, flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway told The National. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in July 2027 and conclude by 2029.

Airbus over Boeing: Flyadeal selected the A330 Neo over Boeing’s 787-9 due to earlier delivery slots, lower pilot training requirements, and better seat economics, Greenway added. Talks with Rolls-Royce — the A330 Neo’s sole engine supplier — are ongoing, with local maintenance, repair, and overhaul agreements under negotiation.

ICYMI- Saudi airline Flynas had placed a USD 30 bn “landmark” order with Airbus for 30 wide-body A330neo and 130 narrow-body A320 aircraft back in July. The delivery schedule will run from 2027 to 2034.

Airbus got something as well: The agreement will also see Airbus procure SAR 2.5 bn (USD 666 mn) of raw material — primarily titanium — from Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported. Sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine war have limited access to key raw materials like titanium, driving up costs for aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing.

This has been in the works: Saudi Arabia partnered with Boeing and Airbus to gain approval for locally sourced aluminum and titanium for use in their aircraft back in May 2024, aiming to expand local production of aircraft components and support global manufacturers in overcoming supply constraints. The Kingdom also introduced lastNovember plans to expand its titanium manufacturing capacity to meet estimated global demand levels of from 15k to 250k tons.

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