Flynas Achieves Record-Breaking Passenger Growth, Exceeds 7 Million In H1 2024

flynas, a prominent low-cost airline, reported welcoming over 7 million passengers in the first half of 2024. This marks a 47% increase in passengers and a 37% rise in seat capacity compared to the same period in 2023. The announcement follows flynas' significant purchase of 160 Airbus aircraft.

Bander Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas, attributed this record performance to strategic growth plans. He stated, "Our record performance during the first half of 2024 is driven by our strategic growth plans as we continue to upgrade our fleet, increase capacity, and expand our global network." The strategy aligns with the National Civil Aviation Strategy's goals to connect Saudi Arabia with 250 international destinations and accommodate 330 million passengers annually by 2030.

Almohanna highlighted that increasing seat capacity for domestic summer destinations demonstrates flynas' commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia's tourism sector. This effort aligns with the ambitious goals set by Saudi Vision 2030. He emphasized cooperation with relevant authorities in tourism and aviation sectors to achieve these objectives.

flynas has expanded its presence in key domestic, regional, and international markets through partnerships with other airlines. This expansion aims to enhance their network reach. Almohanna noted that flynas received six A320neo aircraft in 2024, bolstering operations and creating numerous jobs for Saudis.

The airline also opened applications for a new batch of its Future Pilots program. This initiative aims to nationalize the co-pilot position at flynas by 100%. Additionally, the Future Engineers Program accepted 22 Saudis into its second batch at the start of this year, contributing to nationalizing roles in aircraft engineering and maintenance.

Operational Milestones

flynas operates over 1,800 weekly flights to more than 70 domestic and international destinations. Since its launch in 2007, it has flown over 78 million passengers. The recent addition of 25 new A320neo aircraft over the past 18 months increased its fleet size to 60 aircraft. This expansion signifies a significant milestone towards achieving flynas' ambitious growth-oriented goals.

Almohanna also mentioned that flynas successfully transported more than 100,000 pilgrims from 20 countries in the first half of the year. This effort supports the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP) objectives to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques.

The airline's strategy "We Connect the World to the Kingdom" plays a crucial role in driving these objectives forward. It aims to host 100 million tourists annually by 2030 while supporting national air carriers' connectivity goals.

The continued fleet upgrades and network expansions reflect flynas' dedication to enhancing its services and contributing significantly to Saudi Arabia's aviation sector's growth.

With inputs from SPA