Flynas

Flynas (Arabic: طيران ناس‎), stylized flynas, formerly Nas Air, is a domestic and international low-cost airline based in Saudi Arabia, the country's first budget airline.[4] The company's head office is located in Riyadh.[5]

Flynas
طيران ناس
IATA ICAO Callsign
XY KNE NAS EXPRESS
Founded2007 (2007)
Commenced operationsFebruary 2007 (2007-02)
Operating bases
Fleet size32
Parent companyNational Air Services
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Key people
  • Ayed Al Jeaid (Chairman of the Board of NAS Holding)[2]
  • Bander Al-Mohanna (CEO of flynas)[3] The company slogan is The Kingdom's First Low-Cost Airline.
Websitewww.flynas.com

History

Saudi Arabian Airlines was the only airline in the country until 2006, when budget carriers Nas Air and Sama Airlines got their licenses from the government.[6] Nas Air was founded in 2007 (2007).[7] Operations started in February that year.[6] In late 2007, Nas Air firmed up an order for the acquisition of 20 aircraft of the Airbus A320 family.[8]

The company changed its name from Nasair to Flynas in November 2013 (2013-11).[9][10] In January 2017, Flynas signed an agreement to order 80 Airbus A320neo family with deliveries schedule from 2018 to 2026.[11] In November 2018, Flynas took delivery of the first Airbus A320neo family aircraft.[11]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

As of October 2014, Flynas was owned in its majority by National Airline Services Holding (63%); the balance was held by Kingdom Holding.[12]

Destinations
Main article: List of Flynas destinations

Assiut and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt became served by the carrier for the first time in 2009, with flights to the latter initially operated on a seasonal basis.[13] In 2011, the airline started services to three cities in Turkey: Adana, Antakya and Istanbul.[14] Also that year, Lahore in Pakistan became the second city served in the country, after Karachi.[15] In February 2013 (2013-02), flights to Yanbu from Dammam were launched. Also that month, the airline started flying from Dammam to Khartoum, with the Sudanese capital becoming the first international destination ever to be linked to the Saudi city.[16]

In February 2014 (2014-02), Flynas introduced its Global Flight Routes program, aimed at offering affordable rates to passengers for flights between Jeddah and points in Africa, Asia and Europe,[17] and at carrying religious tourists to Saudi Arabia.[18] In March 2014 (2014-03),[19] Flynas incorporated the first of three Airbus A330s the carrier would lease from Portugal's Hi Fly. These aircraft, including both the –200 and the –300 models, would be used to start long-haul services.[20] The airline also planned to add the Airbus A350 to its fleet.[21]

Flynas became the first low-cost carrier to serve the Saudi Arabia-UK market when it launched the Jeddah–London Gatwick service, its first European long-haul route, in April 2014 (2014-04).[22] Medium-haul routes to Karachi and Lahore were also planned, along with long-haul services to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Casablanca, Manchester and Islamabad.[23] Flights to Iran were also due to commence by the same time.[24] Manchester became the airline's second destination in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2014 (2014-05-07).[25][26] Cairo was made part of the route network in June 2014 (2014-06), making the Egyptian capital the carrier's seventh destination in the country.[27] The London-Gatwick–Riyadh sector would also be served from 27 July the same year.[28] A month later, it was informed that services to Manchester would be discontinued starting August 2014 (2014-08), just after three months of operations.[29][30] That month, the Indian market was expected to be served for the first time with flights to Hyderabad, followed by Calicut in September 2014 (2014-09).[31] Plans were also to serve France next as well as China, Philippines, Nigeria and South Africa later on.[21] Flynas also expected to serve the US market in 2015.[32] However, Manchester was removed from the carrier's list of destinations in early August 2014 (2014-08),[33] and in October the same year the airline announced the cancellation of most of its long- and mid-haul services owing to poor performance.[18][34][35]

In October 2014, Al-Qassim was incorporated to the route network.[36] At April 2015 (2015-04), Flynas' three top domestic routes in terms of available seats were Jeddah (JED)–Riyadh (RUH), Dammam (DMM)–RUH and JED–DMM.[37] The carrier also performs Hajj services.[38][39]

Codeshare agreements

A codeshare agreement with Etihad that dates back to 2012 (2012) sees Flynas placing its code on a number of flights operated by Etihad that radiate from Abu Dhabi.[23][40] In May 2016 the airline signed a codeshare agreement with Pegasus Airlines.[41]

In February 2020, Flynas joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which will help the company with "greater co-operation" with other member airlines and increase connectivity through codeshare agreements.[42]

Fleet

Current Fleet
A Flynas Airbus A320-200 at Dubai International Airport in 2014.

As of July 2020, the Flynas fleet consists of the following aircraft:[43][44]

Flynas fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
Airbus A320-200 22 — 8 156 164
Airbus A320neo 10 112[45] 8 166 174
Airbus A321XLR — 10[46] TBA
Total 32 122

Previously operated

Throughout its history the carrier operated the following equipment:

See also

References
  1. flynas hubs, retrieved 25 March 2018
  2. "NAS HOLDING APPOINTS BANDER AL-MOHANNA AS CEO OF THE GROUP". flynas. 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018.
  3. "flynas Takes Delivery of its First Airbus A320neo Aircraft". flynas. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018.
  4. Rashad, Marwa (2 April 2014). "Saudi budget carrier flynas says to become profitable this year". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014.
  5. "flynas Headquarters". Flynas. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017.
  6. Sobie, Brendan (19 December 2007). "Saudi market opens up further". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014.
  7. "Saudi Arabia's flynas long-haul LCC to Europe and Asia, introducing a new low cost alternative". Centre for Aviation. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014.
  8. "Dubai 2007: NAS firms Airbus deal". Flightglobal. Flight Daily News. 13 November 2007. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
  9. Moores, Victoria (12 March 2014). "Saudi's Flynas seeks to renegotiate its A320 order". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014.
  10. Shane, Daniel (14 November 2014). "Rebranded Nasair aiming for 20m passengers by 2020". arabianbusiness.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  11. "Saudi's flynas takes delivery of first A320neo". ArabianBusiness.com.
  12. Rashad, Marwa (28 October 2014). "Saudi budget carrier flynas suspends long-haul services". Reuters. Riyadh. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. 
  13. Morris, Martin (4 July 2009). "Nasair launches new routes". arabianbusiness.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  14. Sambidge, Andy (16 March 2011). "Saudi low cost carrier launches flights to Turkey". arabianbusiness.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013.
  15. "Saudi's Nasair launches new Pakistan route". arabianbusiness.com. 19 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  16. "Nasair launches its first flights from Dammam to Yanbu and Khartoum, launched a new sales office in Jubail to serve Nasair customers in the region" (Press release). Flynas. 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014.
  17. "Flynas launches Global Flight Routes program". Arab News. 4 February 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  18. Dron, Alan (28 October 2014). "Flynas abandons long-haul program". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. 
  19. "Flynas receives first Airbus 330 plane as part of fleet expansion". Arab News. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014.
  20. Dron, Alan (1 April 2014). "Flynas takes delivery of first A330". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014.
  21. Jasper, Chris (11 March 2014). "Saudi Carrier Flynas Keen on A350 Deal as Airbus Order Reviewed". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014.
  22. "Flynas launches new service to London Gatwick airport". Arab News. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  23. "flynas returns to short-haul flying as Saudi Arabia welcomes Al Maha Airways and SaudiGulf Airlines". CAPA Centre for Aviation. 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. 
  24. Altuwaijri, Nada (18 December 2013). "Saudi low-cost carrier plans expansion into Europe, Asia". Al Arabiya News.
  25. Cox, Charlotte (9 May 2014). "Saudia Arabian flight touches down in Manchester for first time". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014.
  26. "Inaugural Flynas flight touches down at Manchester". Arabian Aerospace. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014.
  27. "Flynas touches down in Cairo with daily non-stop flights". Al Bawaba. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014.
  28. Sambidge, Andy (29 June 2014). "Saudi's flynas set to launch London Gatwick flights". arabianbusiness.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  29. Dron, Alan (28 July 2014). "Middle Eastern carriers drop routes". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. 
  30. Ellis, Dominic (23 July 2014). "Saudi's Flynas To Drop Manchester In August". Gulf Business. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
  31. "Saudi budget airline Flynas to begin operations next month". The Economic Times. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
  32. "ROUTES: Flynas to start US flights in 2015". Flightglobal. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014.
  33. Graham, James (5 August 2014). "Flynas axes Manchester service". TheBusinessDesk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. 
  34. "Official statement from flynas regarding Global Flight Program flight suspension" (Press release). Flynas. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. 
  35. "flynas W14 Network Changes". Airline Route. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. 
  36. "Al-Qassim is newest Flynas destination" (Press release). Flynas. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. 
  37. "flynas benefits from relaxed Saudi fare cap; could become the second Gulf partner for Cebu Pacific". CAPA Centre for Aviation. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. 
  38. Cornwell, Alexander (20 November 2014). "Flynas appoints new CEO, focuses on regional traffic". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. 
  39. Garba, Kabir Alabi (29 September 2014). "Nigerian Pilgrims in High Spirit, Commend Officials for Improved Services". AllAfrica.com. Madinah. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. 
  40. Sambidge, Andy (1 October 2012). "Etihad inks codeshare deal with Saudi's nasair". arabianbusiness.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  41. "Flynas and Pegasus code share details" (Press release). Pegasus Airlines. 11 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. 
  42. "Saudi carrier Flynas joins IATA | Airlines". airlines.iata.org. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  43. "Flynas Fleet". Flynas.
  44. "Airbus Orders & Deliveries". Airbus. November 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  45. Flynas. "flynas receives its fourth Airbus A32neo aircraft". flynas.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  46. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-flynas-firms-up-order-for-10-a321xlrs-462393/
  47. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  48. "Airbus Orders & Deliveries". Airbus. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019.
  49. "Flynas fleet". ch-aviation GmbH. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. 

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