Flynas plans ambitious fleet growth as it maintains profitability

Saudi Arabia's domestic and regional low cost operator Flynas, is evaluating plans to increase its fleet by more than 300% with orders for as many as 100 aircraft.

Speaking on the sidelines of the AACO general meeting at Jeddah, CEO Paul Byrne said that Boeing 737 Max and Bombardier CSeries could both be considered alongside the neo version of the existing fleet choice of Airbus A320.
Byrne said there could be a decision on the plans by early 2016 with RFPs being issued soon.
The airline has refocused on its shorter haul and domestic routes after an ill-fated launch of low-cost long-haul services under a previous management team.
The restructuring has seen the carrier return to profitability – “The only Saudi carrier to be making a profit,” Byrne said.
Flynas is concentrating on sub-three hour segments, Byrne said and is operating from three main bases at Jeddah, Riyadh and recently, Dammam. It has increased Gulf destinations including Bahrain.
“We would like to see more openings in Egypt for example,” Byrne said.
“The business model is working and there is a lot of optimism. We've found what we're good at and we're going to keep doing it," he said.