Flynas, located in Saudi Arabia, might reach an agreement with Airbus as soon as next week. According to a Bloomberg article citing people familiar with the situation, the Saudi Arabian airline is trying to increase its order book in order to compete with other airlines in the area. According to the article, the order might come as soon as the Paris Air Show, which opens on June 19, 2023. According to ch-aviation.com, flynas now flies 58 aircraft, including 17 Airbus A320, 32 A320no, seven A330-300s, and two A330-900neos. Nine of them are wet-leased, including four A320s, three A330-300s, and two A330-900neos.
Meanwhile, Airbus Orders & Deliveries data revealed that the low-cost carrier had orders for 41 A320neo and 10 A321neo aircraft as to May 31, 2023, with ch-aviation.com data confirming that the latter were the A321XLR. Flynas reported that it intended to carry more than 100,000 pilgrims during the 1444 AH Hajj pilgrimage season, especially bringing in an Airbus A330 to prepare for the pilgrimages. In the first quarter of 2023, the low-cost carrier transported 2.4 million passengers on 17,000 flights, an increase of 13% over the same period last year.
"We announced the addition of 10 new destinations and routes in Asia and Europe for the 2023 summer season, beginning next June, bringing the total number of summer destinations to 20, as we continue to expand our ever-growing international network, particularly after the company's board of directors approved increasing our orders for new aircraft to 250 aircraft and our plan to obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in two more countries, with the goal of doubling operations and international expansion."