In 2023, flynas, the national air carrier and a leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, achieved a historic increase in passenger numbers, reaching over 11.1 million, a growth of more than 28% compared to 2022.
The airline expanded its fleet by 35%, adding 19 new aircraft and bringing the total to 64. This expansion is part of flynas’ strategic growth plan, under the slogan “We Connect the World to the Kingdom.”
The airline inaugurated 57 new destinations and routes to 10 countries, opened a fourth operations base at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, and increased seat capacity by 22% for both domestic and international flights.
Bander Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas, stated, “We are proud of flynas’ performance and results in 2023, which reflect the strength of our business model, the distinguished effort made by our team, and the effectiveness of our strategic plan for growth and expansion.” He added that the company’s investments in fleet and network expansion have bolstered its regional and global standing, advancing it to the top 4 LCC worldwide and the best in the Middle East, according to Skytrax classification.
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Almohanna highlighted new initiatives and products introduced by flynas, aimed at providing a distinctive travel experience and options, unique in the Kingdom. He emphasized the company’s alignment with the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP) and the National Civil Aviation Strategy, which targets connecting Saudi Arabia with 250 international destinations, accommodating 330 million passengers, and hosting 100 million tourists annually by 2030.
He also noted the company’s significant fleet expansion, more than doubling in size in under two years. A deal with Airbus for 30 new A320neo aircraft, part of a 120-aircraft order exceeding 32 billion riyals, was mentioned, with plans to increase the order to 250 aircraft.
Almohanna concluded by affirming flynas’ commitment to expanding into new markets, in line with the rapid development of the Kingdom’s aviation industry and the broader economic growth under Saudi Vision 2030.
In 2023, flynas received several international awards, including the Skytrax International Award as the 4th Best LCC worldwide and the Best Low-cost Airline in the Middle East for the sixth consecutive year. It also won the Best Low-cost Airline Award in the Middle East from the World Travel Awards for the ninth consecutive year.