Friday, January 20, 2017

Saudia outlines 2017 fleet delivery plan

Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia will take delivery of 30 aircraft this year, according to a Jan. 17 statement.

The SkyTeam alliance member said the expected aircraft comprise eight Airbus A320neos, 10 A330-300s, five Boeing 777-300ERs and seven 787s.

The first new aircraft this year, an A330-300, will be delivered to Jeddah Jan. 26.

Saudi plans to phase out 18 aircraft in 2017, including 777-200s. Group DG Saleh Al-Jasser said in a statement the aircraft retirement and delivery program will reduce the airline's average fleet age from 5.87 to less than four years.

In September 2016, ATW reported the influx of new equipment is part of the airline’s transformation program launched in 2015, with the aim that by 2020 Saudia will have a fleet of 200 aircraft, 1,000 daily flights and fly 45 million passengers annually.

On Nov. 11, 2016, Saudi Arabian Airlines Group appointed former SunExpress CEO Jaan Albrecht as the CEO of mainline carrier Saudia. “One of the key strategies of Saudia is to become a high-quality carrier like other companies in the Middle East region,” Albrecht told ATW.


(Kurt Hofmann - ATWOnline News)

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