Low-cost carrier flyadeal has revealed plans for a major expansion of its international route network in the coming months. The announcement comes as the Saudi Arabia-based carrier also contemplates its first widebody order to increase long-haul services.
The Jeddah-based airline, which is a subsidiary of the Saudia Group, has said it will increase routes between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt as it aims to increase its presence in the North African country. According to the website AviationA2Z, the airline will launch flights from Jeddah (JED) to Sohag (HMB) and connect Madinah (MED) with Cairo (CAI), with both new routes starting on November 11, 2024, and operated by Airbus A320 family aircraft.
With the addition of these new services, the carrier will have 44 weekly flights between the Kingdom and Egypt. The addition of Madinah sees the carrier introduce its fourth Saudi city to have direct connections to Cairo, joining Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam from which it currently operates direct flights. The airline states that Cairo’s popularity as a tourist, business, and family destination for Saudi visitors is driving this expansion in the region.
Sohag sits on the west bank of the River Nile and is perhaps best known as Egypt’s agricultural heartland. This new destination joins the airline’s Egyptian network which has been growing since the first flights were operated in late 2021. The new Jeddah to Sohag service aims to serve an underserved market and to facilitate connections between the region and Saudi Arabia. In addition to scheduled service between the two countries, flyadeal also operates an extensive network of pilgrimage charter flights in support of the religious festivals of Umrah and Hajj, as well as seasonal charters to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Speaking at the recent Routes 2024 airline conference held in Bahrain, Steven Greenway, flyadeal’s Chief Executive Officer, spoke about how Egypt has become the carrier’s largest international market. He also emphasized the strategic significance of the new Madinah to Cairo route, which will allow the carrier to bolster its capacity offering during the peak travel periods of Umrah and Hajj.
Greenway also hinted that flyadeal’s expansion will not just be limited to Egyptian destinations, with other announcements likely to follow. The carrier’s current network spans nearly 30 year-round and seasonal destinations from its main operating bases located at Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam (DMM). The network covers locations across Saudi Arabia as well as cities in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.
“flydeal’s international expansion is now underway with over 20+ new routes to be launched over the coming months,” said Greenway.
To support its current and future operations, flyadeal operates a current fleet of 36 aircraft, comprising 11 A320-200s, 24 A320neos, plus one additional A330-200 leased from Jordan Aviation. The airline has said it anticipates taking on more wet-leased widebody aircraft throughout 2025. Additionally, the carrier has 58 additional airplanes on order from Airbus. This breaks down as 19 A320neos and 39 A321neos.
These aircraft are part of a wider deal signed by the Saudia Group in May 2024 for 105 Airbus A320neo family aircraft signed at the Future Aviation Forum event in Riyadh. The new aircraft will bolster the fleets of Saudia and flyadeal in a deal that will help the Group keep pace with the Kingdom’s ambitious expansion plans for aviation in the coming years.
Between 2024 and 2028, the airline expects to receive one new aircraft per month on average, and the carrier is aiming to operate a fleet of 88 aircraft by the end of that period. The airline anticipates inducting its first A321neo in the first quarter of 2026.
Are widebodies on the way?
At the Routes 2024 event in Bahrain, Greenaway also revealed that the airline intends to order its first widebody aircraft by the end of 2024. The airline is said to be considering both the Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 twinjets as likely contenders. According to sources, the Airbus A350 has been eliminated as a contender due to its size.
Greenaway said that the new widebodies will feature a small premium cabin while maintaining a focus on high-density seating in the economy section. He also projected a shift from the current 80% domestic and 20% international flight ratio to 65% domestic and 35% international by late 2025, indicating the importance that international growth is being given by the carrier.
Commentators are likely to consider the A330 as the leading contender as it offers commonality with the rest of the airline’s fleet. However, the company’s parent airline, Saudia, has extensive operations experience with the Boeing 787 and could offer crew training and engineering support services. As a side note, Saudia has an existing outstanding order with Boeing for 39 787 Dreamliners including 21 787-10s and 18 787-9s.