Flynas Launches Direct Flights to 3 UAE Cities

Flynas has announced that it will start offering direct flights between cities in Saudi Arabia & the United Arab Emirates.

Beginning September 1, Sunday, the Saudi low-cost carrier will start operating certain routes. These include flights between Riyadh and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport, and between Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. Lastly, the Flynas flights will also cover those between Jeddah and Sharjah, Madinah and Abu Dhabi, and Madina and Sharjah.

Specifically, the fares for the Madinah-Abu Dhabi and Madinah-Sharjah flights start at AED 249. Meanwhile, the Dubai World Central to Riyadh flights start at AED 239. Flights to Jeddah, on the other hand, will start at AED 365.

Flynas and the UAE

These new direct flights Flynas will be offering are part of its expansion plans. It also supports the Saudi Arabia National Civil Aviation Strategy connecting national carriers to 250 international destinations. Additionally, the direct flights support the Pilgrims Experience Program’s strategy to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques.

In 2020, Saudi Arabia topped the international market by 30 percent for outbound departures from the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and India also led the list for inbound arrivals to the UAE, at 14 percent.

Flynas isn’t the only airline that operates flights between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These other airlines include the UAE’s Air Arabia, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, and Emirates Airlines, along with Saudi flag carrier Saudia.

However, starting September 2024, Flynas will become the sole Saudi airline that will serve four major airports in the UAE. The airline’s network covers over 70 domestic and international destinations. It operates over 1,500 flights every week and has carried more than 78 million passengers since 2007.

Growth and expansion

Earlier in August 2024, Flynas posted 47 percent growth in its passengers for the first six months of the year. Moreover, the Saudi carrier also increased its seating capacity by 37 percent for domestic and international flights. This covers the same period versus in 2023.

Flynas has also grown its fleet to 60 aircraft with the acquisition of new A320neo aircraft. It plans on growing its fleet size to 160 aircraft by 2030.

The airline also plans to hire more than 1,000 Saudi pilots over the next five years. It has also generated new jobs via its Flynas Future Pilots program. In line with this, and also in August 2024, Flynas marked the graduation of 170 Saudi pilots. These included 123 Saudi co-pilots and 47 Saudi pilots. The carrier’s ambition is to fill 100 percent of co-pilot positions with Saudi nationals.

Similarly, Flynas’ Future Engineers program aims to localize its aircraft engineering and maintenance roles, offering these to Saudi nationals.

Photo: X/SPAregions