Saudia’s LCC startup, Flyadeal to fly Acro seats

Flyadeal, a new low-cost airline owned by Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, has signed a deal with Acro Aircraft Seating to line-fit 20 Airbus A320neo aircraft with the Series 6 model, with options for a further 20 aircraft. Deliveries of the 5,670 pax order are scheduled for completion in 2025.

Based at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Flyadeal expects to double in size this year, servicing a fast-expanding network of domestic and international destinations across the Middle East. The airline will install the Series 6 seating throughout the aircraft, including a premium version with extra comfort covers and styling details, which will be fitted at the first four rows and the two over-wing exit (OWE) rows.

A new fixed recline version of Series 6 was exclusively engineered for Flyadeal, featuring a 30in (76cm) pitch for the first four rows, 36in (91cm) pitch for the two OWE rows, and 28-29in (73cm) pitch range in the remainder of the cabin.

The airline has opted for seat features including an upper literature pocket, a lower net literature pocket, a single-leaf sliding table with cup recess, and USB-A power supplies. A crew step is fitted on all seats, to minimise intrusion into passengers’ personal space.

The seats will feature faux leather covers in Flyadeal’s distinctive purple brand colour, with lime green piping and custom logo debossing. The extra comfort covers on the premium seating will feature a custom diamond stitch pattern and logo embossed cushions, with colours of purple, lime and magenta.

Mike Hewitt, Flyadeal’s COO said, “We are delighted at how well our new seat has been received by our customers since the inauguration into service of the first of our A320neo aircraft in 2021. The streamlined design of the Acro seat coupled with our customised seat dress cover has enabled us to optimise seating capacity onboard whilst ensuring passenger comfort was not compromised. Our new seat strongly complements the unique look and feel of our overall cabin experience.”