Saudi Gazette

SAUDI Arabian Airlines’ budget carrier flyadeal introduced the first plane that would be in operation on a mix of domestic and regional services on Thursday night.

The company held a ceremony to celebrate the introduction of the first plane at the Royal Fleet Hangar at King Abdulaziz International Airport, attended by flyadeal Chairman and Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Guest of Honor GACA President Capt. Abdulhakim Bin Muhammad Al Tamimi, Abdallah Saleh Jum'ah, former President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, and more than 300 guests.

Attendees included officials from Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority, senior members of the business community, other group companies and members of the press.

At the ceremony, flyadeal management introduced the first flyadeal aircraft, which arrived in Jeddah earlier in the day from the Airbus delivery center in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft has been given an inspiring name, Al-Nayyir, which means the ‘Bright Star.’

“Saudi Arabia’s new low fare airline will launch the first local flight on Saudi Arabia’s national day on Sept. 23, 2017,” said Al-Jasser.

He said: “flyadeal is Saudi Arabia’s new low fare airline, created as a standalone entity under the Saudi Arabian Airlines Group. As well as the airline being a strategic pillar for our group, it also supports the vision and ambition of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 platform, contributing to the expansion of our transport and tourism industries. Tonight, in the presence of all our guests, we share with everyone, the new identity of flyadeal.”

Al-Jasser announced that the total of aircrafts will reach 50 by 2018.

In his remarks, the CEO of flyadeal, Con Korfiatis, said, “With flyadeal we will give the budget conscious traveler a new option in air travel. The demand for travel in Saudi Arabia and the region is growing and we see ourselves addressing the needs of the young, globetrotting, digital customer who wants the right price, presented through simple choices, delivered with a great attitude. There is an exciting journey ahead.”

The event included a virtual reality simulation of the interior as well as a dazzling performance that showcased the spirit of the airline and set the scene for a magnificent debut of flyadeal’s new service.

During the course of the evening, guests were introduced to flyadeal’s story, members of the cabin crew and their uniform, with a close walkthrough around the aircraft, which was shining bright in the airline’s iconic colors of purple and lime.

Keen followers of #flyadeal received regular updates and bulletins as the evening unfolded.