The Saudia Group has placed a confirmed order for 105 Airbus A320-family narrow-body jets, the biggest deal in its history, as Saudi Arabia seeks to develop its aviation and tourism sector.
The aviation group signed a deal for 12 Airbus A320neo and 93 A321neo planes in Riyadh at the Future Aviation Forum on Monday.
The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2026, Saudi Group director general Ibrahim AlOmar told the conference.
“This is our biggest investment in passenger experience,” he said.
While the airline and Airbus did not disclose the value of the deal, the aviation forum said the order was worth $19 billion.
Airline customers typically secure discounts from plane makers beyond list prices.
The jet order will be split between national carrier Saudia and its budget sister airline flyadeal, the group said.
Saudia will take delivery of 54 A321neos while flyadeal will get 12 of the smaller A320neo variant and 39 A321neo aircraft.
The deal increases Saudia Group’s Airbus order backlog to 144 A320neo aircraft, the European plane maker said.
The National reported earlier this month that flyadeal was considering placing an order for more single-aisle Airbus planes.
The latest order comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is focused on boosting non-oil sectors such as tourism, aviation and hospitality as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy.
The kingdom has set ambitious targets for the next seven years. It aims to transport 330 million passengers annually, have 250 destinations and attract 150 million tourists (70 million of those from overseas) by 2030.
“Saudia has ambitious operational objectives to meet growing demand. We are increasing flights and seat capacity across our existing 100-plus destinations on four continents, with plans for further expansion,” Mr AlOmar said.
“The progress of Saudi Vision 2030 is attracting more visits, tourists, entrepreneurs and pilgrims each year. This motivated our decision to secure this significant deal, which will create jobs, increase local content and contribute to the national economy.”
The kingdom registered a record year for air traffic in 2023 as 111.7 million annual passengers travelled through its airports, a 26 per cent increase on the year before, according to the General Authority for Civil Aviation.
The aviation sector contributed $20.8 billion to Saudi Arabia's gross domestic product while aviation-related activities were responsible for a further $32.2 billion in tourism receipts, the authority said in its State of Aviation report.
Flyadeal plans to triple its fleet to 100 aircraft, from 32, in the next five years. The airline intends to carry 10 million passengers by the end of 2024, up from slightly more than seven million in 2023.
Saudia currently operates 145 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, with plans to expand its fleet by 50 per cent by 2030. The airline aims to carry 50 million passengers by 2030, up from 30 million in 2023.
In 2024, it expects to carry 10 per cent to 15 per cent more passengers into its Jeddah hub than it did last year on strong demand and new types of travellers, Arved von zur Muehlen, Saudia's chief commercial officer, told The National this month.
Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, said Saudi Arabia is transforming its aviation industry with developments such as the approved plan for a new airport in Riyadh, the creation of Riyadh Air, the establishment of plane-leasing company AviLease and hundreds of aircraft orders.
“The transformation is one that we invite the world to share in. We seek private sector partners with expertise to help us achieve our ambition,” he told the forum.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
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He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
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Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
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3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
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“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Heather, the Totality
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Canongate
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
