flyadeal orders for 50 B737 Max jets
flyadeal has announced that it is growing its fleet with B737 MAX
Dec 21, 2018: The Middle East carrier, flyadeal, has announced that it is growing its fleet with B737 MAX and has ordered 30 airplanes with options for 20 more in a deal that would be valued at up to $5.9 billion at list price.
flyadeal, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Airlines, offers affordable flights within Saudi Arabia. Over the past year, the airline has conducted an evaluation process for 50 narrowbody airplanes to support domestic growth and potential international expansion. While flyadeal has been operating new A320s, the airline said it has selected the 737 MAX for the future.
Director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said, "The demand for air transport services in the domestic market of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has grown exponentially. A new brand, with a fresh identity focused on low-fares, flyadeal has brought to the market a new choice – which has been received very positively."
Al-Jasser added, "The low-fares airline will continue to expand rapidly, and the addition to the fleet aligns well with flyadeal's target to grow its presence in the domestic market and cover new markets outside of Saudi Arabia."
The airline has selected the 737 MAX 8 which has capacity for 189 passengers in a one-class configuration. Compared to flyadeal's current fleet of A320s, the MAX 8 carries 12 more passengers and provides 8 percent lower operating costs per seat.
Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of commercial sales & marketing for The Boeing Company. "We have supplied commercial airplanes to Saudi Arabia for more than 70 years and we look forward to finalizing this agreement and delivering advanced jetliners to flyadeal in the years ahead."
Boeing's partnership with Saudi Arabia's aviation industry began in 1945 with the delivery of a DC-3 aircraft that gave birth to commercial air travel in the kingdom. Over the past seven decades, airlines in the Kingdom have operated almost every Boeing commercial jetliner, including the 707, 737s Classics, MD-11Fs, 747s, 777s and 787 Dreamliners.
Based in Jeddah, flyadeal offers flights to eight domestic destinations including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Qassim, Tabuk, Gizan, Madinah and Abha.
