Saudi Arabia's budget airline Flyadeal wants to open more bases across the kingdom and expand into lucrative South Asian cities as part of a push for medium-to-long haul markets.
Madinah will become the airline's fourth base and it is examining a fifth, with Abha among possible options, Steven Greenway, flyadeal's chief executive, told The National.
Two aircraft will be permanently based in Madinah's Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport from January 1, increasing to four planes by the end of 2026, he said. It will operate domestic flights from Madinah to the cities of Jazan, Tabuk, Al Hofuf and Abha, plus international flights to Cairo and Istanbul.
Establishing a base in Madinah, Islam's second holiest city, is a "common sense” decision from an economic, network and mechanical perspective. It allows the airline flexibility in opening new international destinations, scheduling early morning departures and transporting pilgrims, Mr Greenway said.
"You can offer a better network, you can squeeze more out of your aircraft … it will allow you to open up routes that you previously couldn't do or it was wasteful to do,” he said. "If you've got aircraft based in that market, it's a better way to maintain market share. It's your moat.”
Flyadeal does not have plans to open bases outside Saudi Arabia because "there is so much growth happening in the kingdom alone,” he said.
The all-Airbus operator is plotting more bases but this depends on getting aircraft deliveries on time while there are industry-wide delays by the manufacturers.
"You will see more bases, we're planning to open up our fifth domestic base at the end of next year … but this depends on the aircraft schedule of delivery, if I don't get aircraft delivered, I can't base aircraft, can I?” he said. "Abha is very interesting, Saudis love it to get away over the summer when it's 20ºC up there.”
Mr Greenway pointed to Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair's successful model of establishing operating bases with a handful of aircraft in cities across Europe as a way to dominate market share and open international routes.
Flyadeal currently has operational bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
It has plans to increase its fleet to 100 planes from 43 now and triple the size of its network to more than 100 destinations by 2030.
This is part of Saudi Arabia's wider plans to develop its aviation sector, increase flight connectivity and attract more international visitors. Saudi airports handled 103.1 million passengers between January and September 2025, a 9 per cent annual increase, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
Entry into India
Flyadeal will enter India in the first quarter of 2026 with A320 Neos, starting with flights to Mumbai and Delhi from Jeddah and Riyadh, Mr Greenway said, adding that bilateral agreements allow the airline to operate these routes.
The airline is also considering serving secondary airports in Mumbai and Delhi and secondary cities in India, Mr Greenway said.
Demand for air travel between the two countries is strong. There are about 2.5 million Indians resident in Saudi Arabia and a flow of religious travellers. Saudi Arabia is India’s fifth largest trade partner and India is Saudi Arabia’s second largest trade partner, according to the Indian embassy in Riyadh.
"There's [nearly] three million Indians in the kingdom, everyone from doctors and lawyers to street cleaners and builders, so there's a natural affinity for them to go home directly,” he said.
"You've got a massive market there that has been served by going by a third country – which we don't want to stop, it's competition – but nevertheless, it's been built out of the fact that we haven't been as well connected as we should have been between both countries.”
Flyadeal will face competition from Indigo, which launched direct flights between Bengaluru and Riyadh on November 16. It also connects India with Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Madinah.
While Indigo has a "great unit cost that we can't compete against,” Flyadeal will offer travellers access to its vast domestic network, Mr Greenway said.
Flyadeal is in talks with "a particular airline” for a number of months for a codeshare and interline partnership and expects to wrap discussions within two months, he said, declining to reveal the entity. "We recognise we need partners on the ground to help us capture that market.”
Flyadeal has been expanding into South Asia, with flights to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Flights between Riyadh and Lahore – its fifth destination in Pakistan began on October 27, adding to its services to Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Sialkot.
It also launched flights to Dhaka, Bangladesh from Jeddah in October.
"We just opened up Indonesia this week and Malaysia in December,” he said.
The airline is aiming for a 50-50 split between domestic and international routes by 2030. This year, 75 per cent of its operations are domestic and 25 per cent international, the airline said.
However, plans to grow in international markets are slowed by a shortage of aircraft, which is "really frustrating,” Mr Greenaway said.
Jet delivery delays have postponed flyadeal's India operations to 2026. "I would have been operating India this year already. There's a tangible loss for us.”
Dubai Airshow: A message to manufacturers
Flyadeal's boss will be at the Dubai Airshow to seek clarity from aircraft manufacturers on delivery schedules.
Global airlines are grappling with years-long aircraft backlogs with manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, compounded by continuing supply chain disruptions that surfaced during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I don't want to hear anything about Covid being the reason,” Mr Greenway said.
He wants certainty from plane makers about specific handover dates so he can plan ahead. "If you're going to delay something, for the love of God, tell us when it's going to be delayed to … as opposed to the rolling delays we've had in the past.”
The airline was scheduled to have four A321 Neos delivered in 2026 but this will be delayed until 2027, he said. "We're really disappointed about that, but still don't have any visibility on when they will potentially come in 2027 and how many.”
"So, I'm going into the air show really wanting to get some clarity around that.”
The delayed A321 Neos will cost the airline a competitive edge when it enters the Indian market next year as the jet would have reduced its unit cost a seat by 18 per cent.
"We just desperately need that, we need the economics.”
The airline continued to perform well but "could do a lot better” if it had its planes on time. Mr Greenway is also "fairly confident” about the July 2027 delivery of the first A330 Neos, as those are in low rate of production and therefore easier to manage.
