Saudi’s flyadeal considers 30-jet order
Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal aims to decide between an order of Airbus or Boeing aircraft by the end of this month, its chief executive said yesterday.
Flyadeal, a subsidiary of state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines, had been due to decide on the order for 30 Airbus A320neos or Boeing 737 MAXs — both narrowbody jets — in the second quarter but held off to further assess the performance of the revamped models.
“We want some evidence because we’re committing a huge chunk of capital,” Con Korfiatis said, adding that the plane makers had competed “very vigorously” for the order. Flyadeal is a pure low-cost airline, with passengers charged for meals and checked-in luggage.
The order for the planes, which are the latest versions of the world’s most used jets and typically employed for short- to medium-haul flights, would be worth more than $3 billion (Dh11 billion) at current list prices, although industry sources say discounts of around 50 per cent are common on such large orders.