Saudia Group nears "substantial" aircraft order

Dhaka: Saudia Group is moving closer to placing a "substantial" aircraft order, a senior executive said in a media interview recently.

Sanjiv Kapoor, Executive Vice President of Strategy at Saudia Group and acting CEO of Flyadeal, said the group is waiting for final board approval before launching its Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

The order is expected to serve both Saudia and its low-cost subsidiary, Flyadeal, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2031.

Kapoor said the group has finished assessing how many aircraft it needs for growth and for replacing its older fleet over the long term. He said the order could be placed all at once or in stages but did not disclose any numbers.

Earlier this year, media reports suggested Saudia could order at least 150 jets from Boeing and Airbus, including 777-9s and A321neo family aircraft.

Saudia is still awaiting dozens of aircraft as part of its Vision 2030 ambitions. In December 2025, Chief Commercial Officer Arved von zur Muehlen said the carrier expected one new aircraft every month in 2026 and one every week in 2027.

According to a fleet tracking platform, Saudia has 60 A321neos, 12 A321XLRs, 18 787-9s, and 10 787-10s on order. On July 6, the airline signed an agreement with Boeing for four new 777F freighters, in addition to the four it already operates.

Meanwhile, Flyadeal has 61 aircraft on order, including 39 A321neos, 13 A320neos, and 10 A330neos.