Flyadeal receives its 40th aircraft – an A320neo

The airline’s 29th A320neo, named Al Faras (‘The Horse’), is part of flyadeal’s 40-strong narrowbody fleet that also includes 11 of the A320ceo variant.

Saudi national Captain Naif Almatrafi, flyadeal director of operations, was ‘handed’ over the keys to the airline’s latest flying asset by Airbus management before commanding the aircraft for the near six-hour flight to Jeddah. He was joined in the cockpit by co-pilot Lawrence Itani from Lebanon.

Steven Greenway, flyadeal chief executive officer, said: “An incredibly proud moment for the flyadeal family to now operate a fleet of 40 aircraft in such a short time of less than eight years since our very first flight. It’s an amazing achievement, a great milestone, and one to build on as we continue to expand with vigour to meet our growth targets.

“What’s even more special is we flew a number of our employees to Toulouse for a memorable trip to see first-hand the hard work that goes into planning, building, assembling and delivering an aircraft. Boarding the aircraft as special passengers for the journey back to the Kingdom was a bonus dream flight to cherish. Thanks to our partners at Airbus for their hospitality in supporting the visit.”

Captain Abdulaziz Bahri, flyadeal chief operating officer, added: “For the operations team at flyadeal, this has been an exciting moment we’ve been looking forward to. As we induct more aircraft into the fleet that enables us to increase frequency on existing routes and open up new routes domestically in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and internationally, a growing network means more choice for the travelling public.

“Being the backbone of our fleet, the A320neos have demonstrated operational resilience, great performance efficiency and, importantly, contributed significantly to punctuality as reflected in our extremely consistent and above industry average On-Time departure and arrival data which only last month showed we were the world’s most punctual airline.”

flyadeal has rapidly developed into the Middle East’s fastest growing airline operating its young fleet from bases in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to more than 30 year-round and seasonal destinations across Saudi Arabia, and in the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and South Asia. By 2030, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, flyadeal expects to triple its network to over 100 destinations and more than 100 aircraft.