Latest news with #Flyadeal
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudia's budget carrier Flyadeal to launch flights to India next year
NEW DELHI: Saudi budget carrier Flyadeal is planning to launch flights from the Kingdom to India next year, its CEO said, as industry leaders gathered in New Delhi for the International Air Transport Association's annual summit. Established in 2017, Flyadeal is a subsidiary of the Saudi national flag carrier, Saudia. Headquartered in Jeddah, the airline primarily serves domestic routes and has, over the past few years, expanded to international destinations in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. It currently reaches some 35 destinations. Another five or six will be added in India soon. 'We're planning to launch flights from the Kingdom to India next year,' Flyadeal's CEO Steven Greenway told Arab News on the sidelines of the IATA meeting on Monday. 'We're talking about five to six (destinations) in our first year alone — so quite a lot, and mostly secondary cities ... Our sister carrier Saudia will remain in Delhi and Mumbai. We're looking at the secondary cities.' While he expects the airline's upcoming India operations to address mostly labor traffic, tourists are a growing group too, as Saudi Arabia is heavily investing in tourist destinations. In the past few years the Kingdom has seen significant developments at its eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, eco-friendly and luxury resorts on the Red Sea coastline, and entertainment and sports complexes. With their vast promotion, also involving Bollywood stars, more and more Indians are willing to visit Riyadh, Jeddah, or AlUla. 'You've got a country which is now open for business, which is now deploying key strategic initiatives that are going online — the Red Sea resorts and so forth. That will bring tourism,' Greenway said. 'I would like to think that we could probably have anything between 5 and 10 percent of our total traffic coming from India over the next couple of years.' Tourism is booming in Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 diversification plan, with the sector expected to contribute 10 percent of the gross domestic product. The Saudi Tourism Authority announced last year that it expected India to become its key inbound market, with 7.5 million Indian travelers visiting the Kingdom by 2030.
Argaam
7 days ago
- Business
- Argaam
GACA issues classification for air carriers, airports in April 2025
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued the index for the classification of air transport services providers and airports based on the number of complaints filed by travelers to the authority in April 2025. The total number of complaints submitted by passengers against airlines stood at 1,270. The least complaints were filed against flynas with 22 complaints per 100,000 passengers. The state-run airline recorded a timely complaint-handling rate of 100%. Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) ranked second, with 23 complaints and a closure rate of 99%. Meanwhile, Flyadeal came third, with 38 complaints per 100,000 passengers, reporting a timely complaint closure rate of 100%. The most frequent complaints for April were about tickets, followed by luggage and passenger services. Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah reported the lowest number of complaints, recording two or 0.2% per 100,000 passengers, among international airports that receive over six million passengers annually, with a timely complaint closure rate of 100%. For international airports that receive less than six million passengers annually, Abha International Airport reported the lowest complaints, at a rate of 1% per 100,000 passengers. Among domestic airports, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Airport was the least airport complained about, at a rate of 3% per 100,000 passengers with a timely complaint-handling rate of 100%. GACA stated that the monthly index is developed to inform travelers about service quality, promote transparency, and encourage healthy competition in the aviation sector.
Travel Daily News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Saudia transformation drives global growth, innovation, and Vision 2030 success
Saudia transformation powers its global expansion, digital innovation, and alignment with Vision 2030, positioning the airline as a key player reshaping Saudi Arabia's aviation and tourism future. Saudia transformation is reshaping the aviation sector, aligning the airline with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and positioning it as a key global competitor. Speaking at Arabian Travel Market 2025 in Dubai, Arved Von Zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer of Saudia, detailed how the airline's four-year transformation has overhauled its people, processes, technology, fleet, and product strategy. Saudia has ambitious growth targets: expanding from its current fleet of 148 aircraft by an additional 128 in the coming years. This includes major aircraft orders, such as A330neos for Flyadeal, and a growing route network across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Saudi Arabia's robust domestic market of 28 airports. Von Zur Muehlen emphasized that Saudia transformation directly supports the national goal of welcoming 30 million Umrah and Hajj visitors and 130 million tourists, making Saudia the 'wings of the vision' connecting Saudi Arabia to the world. A core element of Saudia transformation is digital innovation. With a young, tech-savvy Saudi population and a digitally advanced government, travelers expect seamless digital interactions. Von Zur Muehlen outlined plans to advance beyond conventional apps, aiming for AI-powered travel companions that can manage personalized bookings and services. Saudia is also rolling out next-generation onboard Wi-Fi, launching new international lounges like its Heathrow flagship, and strengthening global partnerships through SkyTeam and code-shared routes, including extended reach into the US and Caribbean via Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Saudia's efforts extend beyond fleet and network. The airline has advanced from 60th to second place globally in punctuality and recently introduced a refreshed, modernized brand identity. New services, such as body-cooling technology for Hajj and Umrah travelers, highlight Saudia's proactive approach to testing and implementing innovations that enhance the guest experience. For travel and hospitality professionals, Saudia's evolution offers a compelling case study in government-aligned strategy, rapid technological adoption, and competitive resilience. As Saudia accelerates its global ambitions, it is positioned to serve not only as a national carrier but as a powerful connector between Saudi Arabia and the international travel landscape.
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia to Resume Direct Flights to Damascus Through National Airlines
Saudi Arabia is preparing to resume direct flights to Damascus through its national carriers Flynas and Flyadeal, signaling a renewed connection with the Syrian market. The move is expected to serve a growing demand from travelers flying for tourism, business, Hajj, and Umrah. Both airlines announced on Wednesday that they are finalizing preparations to launch these routes. Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway confirmed that his airline had secured official approvals last week and plans to begin direct service to Damascus in July. Similarly, Flynas is preparing to operate flights to Syria in the coming weeks as part of its broader expansion strategy. This development is in line with Saudi Arabia's National Civil Aviation Strategy, which aims to link the Kingdom to 250 international destinations, handle 330 million passengers annually, and attract 150 million tourists by 2030. It also supports the 'Guests of God' program, designed to ease access to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Flynas has been rapidly expanding its fleet, recently receiving its fourth Airbus A320neo of the year. The airline now operates 57 aircraft of this model within a fleet of 63 Airbus planes, including A320ceo and A330neo wide-body jets. In 2023, Flynas signed a major deal with Airbus to purchase 160 new aircraft, including 30 wide-body A330neos and 130 single-aisle aircraft from the A320 and A321 families. This brought the airline's total orders to 280 aircraft over seven years - one of the largest in the region - positioning it to meet the projected growth in Saudi aviation under Vision 2030. Aviation analyst Moataz Al-Meera described the resumption of flights to Syria as a strategic decision, not just an operational one. He noted that reconnecting with Damascus strengthens Saudi Arabia's role as a regional air hub and opens access to a market that once saw over a million travelers annually. Estimates suggest that up to 60% of that traffic could be recovered in the first year. Al-Meera also highlighted the tourism impact, pointing out that direct routes from Syria could boost visitor numbers to Saudi Arabia, especially with the Kingdom's growing offerings in tourism, Umrah, and entertainment. He added that this expansion supports the broader goals of Saudi Arabia's transport and logistics strategy, enhancing global connectivity, improving air travel efficiency, and increasing the sector's GDP contribution to 10%.
Trade Arabia
04-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Flyadeal launches cabin crew tour guide initiative
Flyadeal, the fastest growing airline in the Middle East, has announced a regional first with Saudi cabin crew to be trained as certified tour guides in support of the kingdom's Vision 2030 to build a dynamic tourism industry. The programme will target 800 crew by 2030 for comprehensive tour guide training in which they will embrace wider learnings of Saudi Arabia's culture and historical attractions. Upon completion, they will receive a licence as tourism ambassadors enabling them to hone their skills as official guides engaging with passengers, and with visitors in a private capacity. Over the next few weeks, the Saudi-based airline will open applications for courses specifically designed for Saudi nationals. A training institute accredited to Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism will conduct the courses. The initiative was announced at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, the region's largest gathering of travel industry professionals from across the Middle East. Flyadeal promoted several developments at the show including its upcoming summer season flying programme and new year-round destinations. Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: 'flyadeal continues to push the boundaries with employee initiatives designed to enhance their personal development and professional skills. This new training programme, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will empower crew and equip them with the skills and confidence to engage with visitors as official tourism ambassadors. 'As licensed tour guides, the beauty of the programme allows our crew to use their new-found skills while interacting with passengers but also harness their experience by taking tourists on guided tours around the wonderful historic sites that the Kingdom is so renowned for.' To kick-off the programme, flyadeal crew were given a guided tour of the fascinating Dirayah district – the birthplace of Saudi Arabia – in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh. They explored and learned more about the traditional mud-brick architecture and cultural sites being restored to their former glory, but more importantly gained insights into what it takes to become a certified tour guide. Massive investment is underway in the Dirayah project being developed as the nation's foremost historical, cultural and lifestyle destination. With Saudi Arabia looking to welcome 150 million domestic and international visitors by 2030 as part of the nation's economic diversification strategy, tourism infrastructure is scaling up across the country. flyadeal is already playing a key role in national efforts to promote tourism in, and to the Kingdom through an expanding partnership with Saudi Tourism Authority. The airline operates a large domestic network of 18 towns and cities across all national provinces, with a rising international network that currently stands at nine destinations served year-round. flyadeal's domestic coverage includes Abha, Al Bahah, Al Hofuf, Arar, Bisha, Dammam, Gizan, Gurayat, Hail, Jeddah, Madinah, Najran, Neom, Qassim, Riyadh, Tabuk, Taif and Yanbu with more planned to be introduced during 2025. The year-round international network currently covers nine destinations. Amman (Jordan), Cairo and Sohag (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Dubai International and Dubai World Central (UAE) and Karachi (Pakistan), with Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (Turkey) and Alexandria (Egypt) coming online over the next few weeks. Including summer seasonal services, flyadeal flies to over 30 destinations in Saudi Arabia, Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South Asia. Network Growth By 2030, flyadeal expects to triple its network to more than 100 destinations with a fleet also increasing three-fold to over 100 aircraft. flyadeal currently operates 38 Airbus A320 family aircraft on short- and medium-haul routes from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. With ambitious growth plans that will see flyadeal's size increase three-fold by 2030, the airline is ramping up manpower heavily that will see the number of employees across the business increase from over 1,400 to more than 4,000 within five years. During ATM, flyadeal highlighted growth of its international network including ramping up capacity to Dubai; expanded operations to Turkey and Egypt; launching Hajj pilgrim flights; and entering long-haul markets from 2027 following a recent order for Airbus A330neo widebody aircraft. Upcoming new destinations include Istanbul's second airport Sabiha Gökçen and the port city of Alexandria – flyadeal's fourth gateway in Egypt – plus Salalah in Oman among six summer seasonal services. 2025 Route Highlights • Riyadh to Dubai International: up from five to six daily flights, effective June 1, 2025 • Riyadh to Dubai World Central: up from four a week to daily, from April 1, 2025 • Riyadh to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen: daily flights, effective May 29, 2025 (new route) • Jeddah to Alexandria: four-times-a-week, effective June 1, 2025 (new route) • Karachi in Pakistan marked the airline's entry into South Asia in February 2025 with flights from Riyadh and Jeddah (new route) 2025 Summer Seasonal Services, effective June 19 2025, from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam: • Baku (Azerbaijan) • Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) • Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) • Tbilisi (Georgia) • Trabzon (Turkey) • Salalah (Oman) Addressing a Press Conference at Arabian Travel Market, flyadeal Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Rogier van Enk said the expansion represented ongoing aspirations of an airline focused on growth. And flyadeal Chief Information Officer Mohannad Salman AlSalmi spoke of how continued investment in the airline's digital journey was critical to fulfil growth plans. - TradeArabia News Service
