Saudi Arabia-based budget carrier flynas debuts at Abu Dhabi, DWC, Sharjah airports
Low-cost carrier joins a growing list of airlines operating flights to and from UAE
Abu Dhabi: In line with its growth plans, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier flynas has officially launched three new destinations and five additional routes between the Kingdom and UAE. With this expansion, flynas now serves four major airports in the UAE, the number of routes between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has increased to nine, and 20 direct daily flights operate between the two countries.
Last week, flynas had announced plans to “extensively expand” its UAE operations in September with the launch of eight new direct routes between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
New direct routes have been added from Riyadh, Jeddah, and Madinah to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah International Airport.
These new routes complement the existing service to Dubai International Airport (DXB), with direct flights now operating from flynas’ main bases in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah.
Inaugural flight ceremonies were held at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
They were attended by representatives from flynas and the three airports.
Reception ceremonies were also held to welcome the new flights at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah International Airport in the presence of representatives from flynas and the three UAE airports.
Speaking at the launch, Nathalie Jongma, Vice President of Aviation Development at Abu Dhabi Airports said, “We are thrilled to welcome flynas to Zayed International Airport. This partnership enhances our connectivity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering travellers even more choices and solidifying our position as a leading hub in the region. We look forward to working with flynas to expand our network and deliver an exceptional travel experience for every passenger.”
Meanwhile, Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA), said that the authority continues to implement a long-term strategy to reinforce the airport’s position in the travel and aviation sectors by expanding its services, buildings, and supporting facilities. "This is in conjunction with the ongoing work on the new expansion project to increase the airport's capacity to 25 million passengers annually by the end of 2027," Al Midfa said.
To keep pace with the Kingdom’s aviation sector growth and support Saudi Vision 2030, flynas has recently doubled its aircraft purchase orders to 280 planes, one of the largest in the region.
In April this year, the airline also confirmed plans for an initial public offering (IPO) later this year. It had revenues of SR6.3 billion in 2023, an increase of 32 per cent compared to 2022. Late last year, the Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier hired Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley and Saudi Fransi Capital for its potential IPO on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul).