Riyadh: Low-cost airline flynas has announced plans to “extensively expand” its UAE operations in September with the launch of eight new direct routes between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
This expansion will make flynas the only Saudi airline serving all four major airports in the UAE, increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries to over 20 per day.
The carrier will add three more UAE destinations to its roster – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah International Airport.
On September 1, flynas will launch new routes from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai, and from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to both Abu Dhabi’s Shaikh Zayed International Airport and Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
Another route from Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah to Sharjah International Airport will also begin on the same day. The next day, September 2, flynas will start a route from Madinah to Abu Dhabi, the airline said in a statement.
At present, flynas operates daily flights to Dubai International Airport from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah.
In July, flynas signed a deal to purchase 160 new aircraft from Airbus, including 30 wide-body planes, bringing its total order to 280 aircraft. This move supports the airline’s growth under Saudi Vision 2030 and aims to strengthen its position among the top four low-cost airlines globally.
Currently, flynas operates over 1,500 weekly flights to more than 70 domestic and international destinations, having flown over 80 million passengers since its launch in 2007. The airline aims to expand to 165 destinations, aligning with Vision 2030.
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).
