Saudia’s 105 aircraft order stretches A320neo lead over rival Max

May 20, 2024 in Business, Companies, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Airbus further extended the lead of its A320neo over the competing B737Max, after registering an order for 105 examples with Saudia Group’s low-cost carrier flyadeal.

The parties announced the add-on order at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh today, taking the Saudia Group’s Airbus aircraft order backlog to 144 A320neo family aircraft.

Saudia Group Director General Ibrahim Al-Omar said the additional capacity will support frequency growth and expansion of the route network. “Saudia has ambitious operational objectives to meet growing demand. We are increasing flights and seat capacity across our existing 100+ destinations on four continents, with plans for further expansion.”

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus’ Executive Vice President Sales Commercial Aircraft business, said the additional aircraft will support Saudia Group’s “strategy to advance the Kingdom’s aviation capabilities while enabling both airlines to benefit from the A320neo’s exceptional efficiency, superior economics, highest level of passenger comfort as well as lower fuel-burn and emissions.”

Saudi Arabia is implementing a National Tourism Strategy, through which it aims to attract more than 150 million annual visitors to the kingdom by 2030.

For Airbus, the order adds to the 10,501cummulative orders that had been logged for the A320neo at the end of April 2024. That compares with 6, 270 cumulative orders for the rival Boeing 737 Max family at the end of April. Some 3,330 A320neo aircraft were in service compared to 1,502 for the Max at the end of April.

Since entering service 36 years ago, the venerable A320 Family has won over 18,000 orders from over 300 customers.

 

@Airbus @SaudiaGroup @Saudi_Airlines @flyadeal