Saudi Arabia-based low-cost carrier Flynas said its board approved establishing local units outside the Kingdom’s borders in two more countries “as part of a plan to become the Middle East’s largest discount airline and one of the five biggest globally,” Bloomberg reports.
According to a statement shared with Bloomberg, Flynas said it would seek so-called Air Operator Certificates in two unidentified countries as it looks to double the scale of its operations.
The push by Flynas comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates its broader aviation aims. The Kingdom is prioritizing tourism as a major sector of development, hoping to increasingly become a global tourism destination in the years and decades to come.
The government-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced in late 2022 that Riyadh would be home to a new, ambitious airport, which would aid the Kingdom in becoming an attractive transit point between East and West as well as attract millions to visit the Saudi capital.
The coastal city of Jeddah received an airport overhaul in recent years. New airports are being built out in Neom and at the Red Sea resort area, set to open in the coming months.
Saudi Arabia is also set to roll out a new national airline, called RIA, which will seek to compete more closely with regional rivals Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airways, and others.
According to the report in Bloomberg, as part of the push, Flynas plans to “expand its existing jet orders to 250 and previously said it was considering widebody models such as the Boeing Co 787 and Airbus SE A350 , pivoting beyond its current fleet of Airbus SE narrowbody jets.”
