The board of directors of Saudi air carrier Flynas has approved the opening of the company’s units in two more countries as part of its plan to become the largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and one of the world’s largest budget carriers.
Flynas, which is headquartered in Riyadh, will seek operating certificates in two other states, expecting to double its operations, the company said in a statement cited by Bloomberg. However, the company did not specify what countries it was talking about.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the aviation sector as it seeks to make the economy less dependent on oil and become one of the world’s largest tourist destinations by 2030. The plan includes building a new airport in Riyadh and creating a new airline.
Flynas plans to increase its purchases of airliners to 250, and the company is considering buying wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing 787 and A350.
Flynas began flying under the Nas Air brand in 2007. The company is partly owned by Kingdom Holding, an investment company controlled by Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.
