Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, announced the expansion of its fleet with the addition of new aircraft type, Airbus A321neo under the slogan “A neo-way of flying.” The airline aims to add 20 more A321neo aircrafts to its fleet by 2026.
The A321neo aircraft is a single-aisle, narrow-body aircraft and seats 180 to 220 passengers in a typical two-class interior layout.
The main reason behind the purchase of the aircraft is its ability to run on much less fuel. By incorporating Sharklets, new fuel-efficient engines and latest cabin innovations, the A320neo has also seen a 20 percent decrease in fuel burning and Co2 emissions, a 50 percent reduction in noise footprint, a 5 percent lower airframe maintenance costs and a 14 percent lower cash operating costs per seat versus previous generation aircraft.
“We are excited to expand our fleet with the new Airbus A321neo aircraft,” Captain Ibrahim Koshy SAUDIA CEO said. Our priority is to offer the best guest experience possible and to bring the world to Saudi Arabia, and we will continue to purchase state-of-the-art aircraft from the world’s top manufacturers to deliver on that promise.”
The addition of new aircraft aligns with SAUDIA’s expansion goals as the airline aims to bring around 330 million visitors to the Kingdom by 2030.
SAUDIA serves global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia.