Saudi aviation forges ahead at the 54th Paris Air Show

Sector places multi-billion-dollar aircraft orders

Saudi’s aviation sector placed multi-billion-dollar aircraft orders at the 54th Paris Air Show as it showcased its growing roster of airlines.

Low-cost airline Flynas has firmed up an order with Airbus for 30 new A320neo family aircraft, taking the airline’s total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo aircraft including 10 A321XLRs.

The Kingdom’s national airline Saudia added 30 aircraft to its order with Boeing, taking its total firm order to 65. The airline plans to take the tally to 100 in future.

The growth leans into the Kingdom’s massive tourism push. The Air Show also featured the launch of Riyadh Air, which is being touted as the “epitome of airline luxury”. The airline’s purple livery was unveiled on the opening day of the Air Show.

Guided by its aviation strategy, the Kingdom’s aviation sector has been making significant progress.

The Kingdom moved up 14 ranks on the Air Connectivity index published by the International Air Transport Association, demonstrating the highest growth rate in air connectivity. The Kingdom also advanced to the 16th position globally in the maritime navigation network connectivity index, according to the UNCTAD report for the second quarter of 2023.

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The Kingdom’s national carrier, Saudia, advanced 11 spots on the Skytrax annual list of the world’s top 100 airlines, while Flynas was declared as the fourth best low-cost airline in the world and the top-ranking airline in the Middle East, maintaining its position on the ranking for the sixth consecutive year.

With the Kingdom’s tourism sector booming unprecedentedly, the Kingdom has witnessed a rapid surge in air passenger traffic, both domestic and international, over recent years. As part of the strategy, the Kingdom aims to enhance its air connectivity to 250 destinations around the world, transporting 330 million passengers by 2030.

It also intends to serve as a global logistics hub by doubling its air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by the end of the decade.

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