Flyadeal CEO on Its Unconventional Playbook for Scaling the Saudi Airline

Skift

a day ago

Saudi Arabia's Flyadeal is surely rewriting the low-cost rulebook. From widebody orders to a rare partnership with Cebu Pacific, this domestic darling is now eyeing global scale, all without losing sight of its lean, point-to-point roots.
Flyadeal, the budget subsidiary of Saudi Arabian national carrier Saudia, is keen to reshape what it means to be an LCC in the Middle East.
By 2030, flyadeal plans to triple its fleet size to over 100 aircraft and also increase its network three-fold to more than 100 destinations.
Two weeks ago, Flyadeal and Cebu Pacific signed a deal to wet-lease two Cebu Pacific A320s for Saudi Arabia's busy summer season. In return, Cebu Pacific may take Flyadeal A320s for Southeast Asia's winter peak.
This kind of reciprocal wet-leasing arrangement is rare in low-cost aviation. CEO Steven Greenway references the Sunwing-TUI model from Canada and Europe as a blueprint: 'They were one of the very few to do it… So that's the model I sort of see as my Northern Light.'
The Flyadeal-Cebu Pacific partnership also opens doors to collaboration in maintenance, engineering, and training. But for now, both carriers are focused on executing the summer operation successfully before expanding the scope.
'I'd love to have 10 aircraft of Cebu Pacific in my fleet by next year,' said Greenway.
Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway.
Widebody Order and Long-Haul Ambitions
Flyadeal's decision to order 10 Airbus A330neo widebodies, with 10 more on option, is a clear signal that it's ready to compete on longer routes. The airline has already been operating wet-leased widebodies on routes from Europe to Africa and Asia, which has helped it prepare operationally.
'We understand the economics, we understand the operation… if it's our own aircraft, our profitability margins will be far, far superior,' said Greenway.
The new aircraft will carry 420-440 passengers each, with a focus on volume-driven markets such as pilgrim traffic and labor flows into Saudi Arabia.
Greenway also stressed crew and fleet commonality to keep training and operational costs low: 'Our Airbus aircraft are the same… we can get a pilot on a 320 and move over to a 330 with 10 days training.'
The long-haul plan aligns closely with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. While Greenway is careful to note there's no formal government directive for flyadeal, he says the environment is supportive: 'It's more like a carrot approach — how can we help you, how can we build this together?'
Flyadeal to Commence Flights to Syria
One of flyadeal's boldest steps this year could be its planned entry into Syria, with flights potentially launching as soon as July. As diplomatic and trade barriers begin to ease, the airline is positioning this move as both a humanitarian response and a smart business decision.
'There are 2 million Syrians, who haven't been able to go home because of the war, and that's unacceptable,' said Greenway. 'We want to be part of the reconstruction effort for Syria. If we don't start going in, someone else will.'
Most international carriers pulled out of Syria during the civil war, which began in 2012. Before the conflict, more than a dozen global airlines flew to Damascus. But that changed with years of unrest and sanctions.
Last month, the U.S. government relaxed sanctions on Syria following President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia.
Qatar Airways resumed flights to Damascus earlier this year. Turkish Airlines followed shortly after, and Emirates plans to restart service from mid-July.
With its large domestic network and narrowbody fleet, flyadeal sees an opening. According to Greenway, Flyadeal's A320s can directly connect Saudi Arabia with secondary Syrian cities that larger carriers often overlook. 'One way of rebuilding the country, at least part of it, is providing connectivity into the country,' Greenway said.
How Flyadeal Is Building for Scale
While flyadeal is growing fast, it's doing so with discipline, according to its CEO.
'Our fleet only grew 19% yet our number of flights on a daily basis grew 54%,' Greenway explained. 'We're squeezing more out of our assets every day. Utilization is going up. Unit cost is going down.'
That efficiency is driven by investments in back-end systems, from crew rostering to enterprise resource planning, geared to support long-haul operations and future growth.
Flyadeal's ambition isn't to become a legacy-style global carrier, but rather a regional carrier that extends its reach through targeted international connections.
'We'll still be the point-to-point for a lot of stuff, particularly domestically,' said Greenway. 'But internationally, a lot of it will be connecting — either onto us or onto Saudia (the parent airline).'
That means more secondary city routes, more synergy with Saudia's hubs, and using long-haul aircraft not just for tourism, but also for vital connectivity across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway at Skift Global Forum East 2024