Flynas

Flynas (stylized flynas; ), formerly Nas Air, is a private Saudi low-cost airline "joint-stock company". It is the first low-cost airline in Saudi Arabia. The company's headquarters are located in Riyadh.

It operates more than 1,500 flights per week, which serve more than 70 domestic and international destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa.

It takes King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah as centers for its operations. Its fleet consists of 61 aircraft as of February 2025.

History

Nas Air

Saudi Arabian Airlines was the only airline in the country when budget carriers Nas Air and Sama Airlines got their licenses from the government. ''Nas Air'' was founded in 2007. Operations started on 25 February that year. In late 2007, Nas Air firmed up an order for 20 aircraft of the Airbus A320 family.

Flynas

The company changed its name from ''Nas Air'' to ''Flynas'' in November 2013. In January 2017, Flynas signed an agreement to order 80 Airbus A320neo family with deliveries scheduled from 2018 to 2026. In July 2017, the Flynas application on smart devices, iOS and Android, achieved one million downloads of the application by users. In November 2018, Flynas took delivery of the first Airbus A320neo family aircraft. In June 2023, Flynas ordered 30 Airbus A320neo, taking the airline's total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo aircraft, including 10 A321XLR.

Corporate affairs

The managing director and CEO of Flynas is Bander Al-Mohanna, the chairman of the board of directors is Ayed Al-Jeaid, the vice-chairman is Talal Al-Maiman, and the members of the board of directors are Hamza Al-Kholi, Saad Al-Mousa, and Saleh Al-Henaki.

Destinations

, Flynas served 54 destinations across 99 routes; the airline has Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medinah as operating bases.

Initial service to Assiut and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt began in 2009, with flights to the latter initially operated on a seasonal basis. In 2011, the airline started services to three cities in Turkey: Adana, Antakya and Istanbul. Also that year, Lahore in Pakistan became the second city served in the country after Karachi. In February 2013, flights to Yanbu from Dammam were launched. Also that month, the airline started flying from Dammam to Khartoum, with the Sudanese capital becoming the airline's first international destination to be linked to that Saudi city.

In February 2014, 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, and at carrying religious tourists to Saudi Arabia. In March 2014, Flynas incorporated the of Airbus A330s the carrier would lease from Portugal Hi Fly. These aircraft, including both the –200 and the –300 models, would be used to start medium-haul services. The airline also planned to add the Airbus A350 to its fleet for long-haul services.

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. Medium-haul routes to Karachi and Lahore were also planned, along with long-haul services to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Casablanca, Manchester and Islamabad. Flights to Iran were also due to commence by the same time. Manchester became the airline destination in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2014. Cairo was made part of the route network in June 2014, making the Egyptian capital the carrier destination in the country. The London-Gatwick–Riyadh sector would also be served from 27 July the same year. A month later, it was informed that services to Manchester would be discontinued in August 2014, just after months of operations. That month, the Indian market was expected to be served for the first time with flights to Hyderabad, followed by Calicut in September 2014. Plans were also to serve France next as well as China, Philippines, Nigeria and South Africa later on. Flynas also expected to serve the US market in . However, Manchester was removed from the carrier list of destinations in early August 2014, and in October of the same year, the airline announced the cancellation of most of its long- and medium-haul services owing to poor performance. Also in October 2014, Al-Qassim was incorporated to the route network.

, Flynas' top three domestic routes in terms of available seats were Jeddah (JED)–Riyadh (RUH), Dammam (DMM)–RUH and JED–DMM. The carrier also performs Hajj services.

Codeshare agreements

Flynas has a codeshare agreement with Etihad that dates back to 2012, allowing Flynas to place its code on a number of flights operated by Etihad that emanate from Abu Dhabi. In May 2016, the airline signed a codeshare agreement with Pegasus Airlines.

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.

Fleet

Current fleet

, Flynas operates an all-Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft:

Historic fleet

Throughout its history, Flynas and its predecessor, Nas Air, operated the following aircraft types:

* Airbus A319-100
* Airbus A330-200 
* Boeing 747-400
* Boeing 767-300ER

See also

* Transport in Saudi Arabia

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:flynas
Saudi Arabian companies established in 2007
Airlines of Saudi Arabia
Airlines established in 2007
Low-cost carriers
Saudi Arabian brands
2007 establishments in Saudi Arabia
Flynas