Saudi Arabia’s Largest Low-Cost Carrier flynas Signs Agreement for Additional 75 Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft and 15 A330neo

flynas, Saudi Arabia’s leading low-cost carrier, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 75 A320neo family aircraft and 15 A330-900. This strategic agreement will expand the airline’s capacity, range and enhance its overall fleet capabilities.

Signed during Farnborough International Airshow in the presence of President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, Chairman of the Board of NAS Holding Ayed Al Jeaid, flynas Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director Bandar Almohanna, and Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer.

The new aircraft will join the carrier’s all Airbus fleet serving international, domestic and regional routes. The new A330-900 aircraft will boast a two-class configuration, accommodating up to 400 passengers.

We are excited to further strengthen our long-standing partnership with Airbus,” said Bander Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas. “The A320neo Family provides exceptional operational performance and environmental benefits, allowing us to offer unique, low-cost travel experiences. Additionally, the A330neowill enhance our long-haul capabilities with its advanced technology and efficiency while supporting our growth plans and Saudi Arabia’s pilgrim program.

Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer said, “We are delighted to expand our partnership with flynas through this significant milestone for both A320neo and A330-900 aircraft. The A330neo will allow flynas to further grow into widebody markets by building on the A320, benefiting from Airbus’ unique commonality. Both aircraft types offer flynas the perfect versatility and economics to expand into new markets while offering their passengers the latest cabin experience and comfort. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with flynas as they embark on this exciting new chapter.

The addition of the A330-900 aircraft will support flynas’ ambitious growth plans. The airline anticipates significant operational efficiency gains by combining the new widebody aircraft with its existing A320neo fleet. The A330-900 offers increased capacity and range at unrivalled seat costs, ensuring flynas can compete effectively in the growing regional market, a key focus area for the airline.

The A330neo delivers unbeatable operating economics, powered by the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, featuring new wings and a range of aerodynamic innovations resulting in a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. The A330neo is capable of flying 8,150 nm / 15,094 km non-stop, providing ultimate comfort with more passenger space, a new lighting system, latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity throughout the cabin.

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A330 family is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The manufacturer is targeting to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030.

Source: Airbus
Photo Credit: Airbus

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Aircraft Manufacturer, Embraer, Unveils Enhancements for its Commercial E-Jet Series

Embraer has revealed wide ranging upgrades and performance improvements across its commercial jet product line up. The upgrades on the E195-E2, E190-E2, and E175, including fuel burn and range improvements, avionics and cabin upgrades, were announced at the Farnborough Air Show. As well as improving operational effectiveness these measures also deliver a net present value of US$6million per aircraft over 15 years in cost reduction and additional revenue.

Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said, “We aim to continually improve our aircraft and these upgrades announced today – reducing fuel burn and emissions; increasing range; improving the passenger and cabin experience; and adding new technology and connectivity – is great news both for our customers and their guests. Embraer is committed to providing the safest, most efficient, most comfortable, and most commercially savvy jets to our customers.

E175 improvements – adding E2 features

  • Larger overhead bins and mood lighting
  • Multi-band satellite connectivity
  • Recaro Seats
  • Next generation weather and data avionics

The E175 is also receiving a set of upgrades following its last update in 2016 which improved fuel burn by 6.4%. The improvements, available to customers upon request, focus on the cabin and passenger experience, as well as updating some avionics to be more in line with the E2’s.

The E175’s overhead luggage bin capacity will double in size to be similar to those on the E2, now fitting one bag ‘wheels first’ per customer as in the E2. Mood cabin lighting as seen on the E2 will also become available, as will new Recaro seats.

Satellite connectivity will soon be available for the first time on the E175, a major boost for business travelers and those that want to stay connected in the sky. Both Ku and Ka band satellite connectivity will be available for retrofit by 2026.

Finally, data transfer solutions and the weather radar will be upgraded to match the capabilities of the E2. This will enable digital transformation and wireless retrieval of flight data and will be available by Q4/2024The next generation weather radar provides turbulence detection and alert, predictive windsheer detection, and 3-D volumetric scanning and will be available by Q2/2026.

E2 Improvements

  • Fuel burn
  • Improved range
  • GTF time on wing improved
  • Enhanced take off system
  • Cabin optimisation

Fuel Burn – Reduced by 2.5%

E195-E2 12.5% more fuel efficient than competitor aircraft (was 10%)

Fuel burn on the both E2s is improved by 2.5%, making the E195-E2 12.5% more fuel efficient than the closest competitor aircraft. On entry into service the E2 was notably more fuel efficient than advertised. The better burn rates airlines experienced in real world operations have now been ratified. This is also helped by an improvement to the bleed management system which extracts less bleed, demanding less from the engine and therefore saving fuel. The improvement worth US$1 million per aircraft and reinforces a E2´s potion as the most sustainable aircraft in single aisle market.

Improved range – from 2600NM to 3000NM

Range on the E195-E2 has been boosted to 3000NM. The new Max Take Off Weight of 62,500kg was recently certified, which combined with the lower fuel burn provides this range improvement.

GTF time on wing – up 10%

Engine improvements on the E2s GTF engines will increase time on wing by 10%. This is achieved by optimizing climb thrust which demands less of the engine, therefore reducing engine degradation and increasing time on wing. It is expected this will save operators US$0.5million over 15 years.

Range/Payload improvements from challenging airports

Embraer also unveiled its E2 Enhanced Take Off System for the first time. This automatic take off system produces a more precise and efficient rotation moment and flight trajectory, reducing the required field length and pilot workload; meaning more payload and more range from challenging airports. This gives the E2 best in class performance from airports like London City, Florence, and Santos Dumont. Adding 350NM in range from LCY for example.

Cabin optimization– reducing gaps, adding one row, Recaro seats

Cabin optimization on the E195-E2 has allowed Embraer to fit in an extra row of four seats to most configurations. For example, an aircraft configured for 136 seats, would now be able to seat 140 passengers. Max seating remains 146. Recaro seats will now also be an available option. One extra row of seats can generate extra revenue to airlines equivalent to US$4.5m per aircraft over a period of 15 years.

About Embraer
Embraer is a global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil. It manufactures aircraft for Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security, and Agricultural customers. The company also provides after-sales services & support through a worldwide network of wholly owned entities and authorized agents. Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds, an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere worldwide, transporting over 145 million passengers a year. Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats and is the leading exporter of high-value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Embraer’s APAC headquarters is in Singapore, and its China headquarters is in Beijing. 

Source: Embraer
Photo Credit: Embraer

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