Saudia signs Airbus deal for up to 20 wide-body aircraft

Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national airline, has finalised a new agreement with European manufacturer Airbus to buy up to 20 new wide-body A330neo aircraft.

Of these, 10 are firm orders for Flyadeal, the group’s budget airline, the carrier said in a statement.

The delivery of these aircraft is set to start in 2027, with the last one expected to arrive in 2029, the carrier said.

This new deal strengthens a partnership established last year, which saw the purchase of 105 aircraft from Airbus, Saudia said.

Ibrahim Al-Omar, Saudia’s director general, said that the carrier aims to connect 250 destinations and carry over 330 million travellers and 150 million tourists by 2030.

The Saudia Group presently operates a fleet of 194 aircraft – in commercial aviation, cargo operations and logistics – with 191 new aircraft slated for delivery.

Riyadh Air, the kingdom’s new airline set to launch later this year, will replace Saudia as the kingdom’s primary flag carrier and operate out of Riyadh, the capital. 

Saudia will focus its operations out of Jeddah, and hopes to achieve a target of a 60 percent increase in pilgrim numbers to the western province from 18.5 million last year to 30 million in 2030.