Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing low-cost airline, flyadeal, has expanded its Pakistan operations with the launch of non-stop scheduled flights from Riyadh to Islamabad, Peshawa,r and Sialkot.
The new routes from the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were introduced over three days. Cake-cutting celebrations marked each inaugural flight on arrival in the newly added destinations, with crew joining airline and airport officials in the festivities.
In addition, an early morning traditional water salute welcomed flight F3 651 to Islamabad with pilots proudly waving both countries’ flags from the cockpit of their Airbus A320 aircraft that marked a new air bridge connecting the capital cities of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
At King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, flyadeal Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Rogier van Enk was joined by Muazam Ali, deputy head of mission at the Pakistan Embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, together with airline and airport officials for the departure ceremony.
Flyadeal entered the Pakistan market in February with scheduled flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Karachi that signalled the airline’s first move into South Asia. The network additions increase flyadeal’s frequency between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan from six to 13 flights a week. All flights are operated by A320s in a single 186-seat Economy Class configuration.
Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “Just seven months ago, we began operations in Pakistan with a pledge to increase capacity and widen our network in a high-demand market. From six flights a week, we’re now adding a further seven services into three additional destinations, which gives us greater reach to our customers and provides more choice at value-for-money low fares.
Farooq Ahmad, flyadeal Head of Sales, added, Being from Pakistan, this is a moment of great pride for me as flyadeal ramps up travel options with our mix of new routes catering to a diverse customer base. My team and I look forward to meeting travel providers in Pakistan over the next few weeks to promote our expanded network and build on our strong partnerships with the travel trade and corporates.”
Flyadeal currently operates a modern fleet of 40 A320s from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam to more than 30 seasonal and year-round destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South Asia. By 2030, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, flyadeal expects to triple its network to over 100 destinations with more than 100 aircraft.
The airline is operating from Pakistan’s four destinations, including Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Sialkot.
