Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal starts A320neo deliveries

flyadeal (F3, Jeddah) took delivery of its first A320-200N on direct order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) on July 15, 2021. HZ-FAN (msn 10255) was ferried from Toulouse Blagnac to Jeddah but has yet to be deployed into service. The aircraft is the first of thirty A320-200Ns the Saudi low-cost carrier plans to induct within the next three years. In early July, Chief Executive Con Korfiatis told ch-aviation that flyadeal would take three units of the type by early August.

flyadeal’s A320neo order is part of a larger commitment signed by its parent Saudia (SV, Jeddah) in 2019, which also comprises twenty A321-200Ns and fifteen A321-200NX(LR)s for the mainline.

The LCC took delivery of its first, and thus far only active, A320-200N, HZ-FAL (msn 9554), in August 2020. However, the aircraft was secured opportunistically as a whitetail and is leased from Avolon. It is also configured for just 174 passengers, as opposed to the 186 seats in flyadeal’s direct-ordered A320-200Ns, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

flyadeal’s fleet also comprises eleven A320-200s, including one damaged in a drone strike in February 2021.