The

Middle East is noted for its luxury full-service carriers
– although it does have low-cost carriers as well. Now, even Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline, flyadeal
, is considering introducing premium economy
seating to its upcoming long-haul
flights. This would first be introduced in its impending order for wide-body jets (the decision is expected to be made at the end of the month).

flyadeal considering premium economy on new widebody aircraft

Flyadeal may be a low-cost airline, but that apparently doesn’t stop the Saudi Arabian airline from considering offering premium economy seating on its up coming wide-body aircraft fleet.

flyadeal Airbus a320neo aircraft

Photo: Airbus

“We’ll look at a small premium cabin for our wide-bodies. I’m talking about something akin to an Economy Plus or a Premium Economy type of product. Once the flight is over four or five hours, there is a small segment that sits there and says, ‘I don’t want to be in an Economy seat, I want a bit more space’,” – Steven Greenway, CEO

Currently, Flyadeal mostly operates a fleet of narrowbody Airbus A320-200s and A320neos, with A321neos on order. The airline is soon to place an order for widebody aircraft, with the airline currently choosing between the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A330neo. Flyadeal’s chief executive told The National that the decision to buy is coming down to getting the best contracts for the jet engines.

The order is expected to be for 15 widebodies aircraft, and clinching the deal is thought to be very close. Aircraft engines are the main sticking point. Boeing 787 Dreamliners can be powered by either Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines or General Electric GEnx engines. The Airbus A330neo is only powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

flyadeal focusing on expansion

According to The National, flyadeal’s move to twin-aisle airliners is part of its broader plan to operate long-haul flights to Western Europe and to Southeast Asia. Its main Saudi Arabian budget rival is Flynas
.

flyadeal is based at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport and is owned by the Saudi flag carrier, Saudia
. The low-cost airline commenced operations in 2017, serving domestic destinations, and has since started operating international flights. It is continuing to focus on expanding its international route and is moving to capture a larger share of the pilgrim traffic into Saudi Arabia along with “high-volume and low yield” workers traffic.

flyadeal Airbus A320 Parked In Jeddah

Photo: Anemone | Shutterstock

CEO Steven Greenway stated that wide-body aircraft offer more flexibility in terms of what the airline is able to do and offer. So, a more comfortable part of the cabin is being envisioned for those who would like to upgrade. Greenway also said that to operate these larger aircraft and to facilitate the airline’s planned expansion, flyadeal expected to triple its workforce by 2030 to at least 5,000 staff.

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