Saudi Arabian low-cost airline flyadeal has expanded its fleet with new Airbus A320neo, named Al Faras (The Horse), bringing its total fleet size to 40 aircraft.
Thirteen staff, including crew and competition winners selected in a lucky draw from across the company, joined the handover ceremony of the airline’s newest Airbus A320neo in Toulouse, France. Before heading back to the Kingdom, the team was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Airbus’ aircraft assembly plant in Toulouse.
Saudi national Captain Naif Almatrafi, Director of Operations at flyadeal, was presented with the keys to the airline’s latest flying asset by Airbus management.
“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 vigor 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 firsthand 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, Chief Operating Officer at flyadeal, added that, “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.”
Last year, flyadeal made its largest ever order for 51 Airbus A320 family aircraft, comprising 12 A320neos and 39 larger A321neos, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027.
