Saudi Arabia’s Flynas plans EX-YU expansion
Saudi Arabian low cost carrier Flynas is planning to expand its operations in the former Yugoslavia with Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia all being markets of interest for the budget airline. Flynas is already in advanced talks with operator Airports of Montenegro over the introduction of flights from Riyadh to both Podgorica and Tivat. Initial contact between the two was made back in 2019. “Following two months of through negotiations, we will welcome the renowned Saudi Arabian airline Flynas and, thus, open up Montenegro to a market of around 35 million people”, the member of the Board of Directors of Airports of Montenegro, Eldin Dobardžić, said. The low cost carrier is expected to operate a promotional flight to Montenegro next month, after which scheduled services are expected to begin during the coming summer season.
Flynas commenced operations to the region in 2019 by introducing services from Riyadh and Jeddah to Sarajevo. Last year, the low cost airline maintained a series of charter flights between Riyadh and Belgrade to cater for Indian workers undergoing quarantine in Serbia prior to entering the Kingdom. Two weeks ago, Serbia’s Foreign Minister held talks with Saudi Arabia’s non-residential Ambassador to the country, where the two discussed the potential introduction of flights between the two states, as well as the possibility of relaxing visa requirements. Last week, the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, met with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, where the two expressed their readiness to boost cooperation in tourism and organise a Croatian - Saudi business forum. Saudi carriers have expressed interest in serving the Croatian coast.
Flynas has announced a handful of new European destinations this coming summer, including Moscow, Prague, Mykonos and Santorini. In addition to Montenegro, more new routes are expected to be announced in the coming months. Established in 2007, Flynas is Saudi Arabia’s first low cost carrier. It currently connects more than seventy domestic and international destinations, through its fleet of forty Airbus A320 and A320neo aircraft. It has orders for a further 67 A320neos. The airline maintains over 1.200 weekly flights and has carried more than 55 million passengers since its launch. Other than Sarajevo, the carrier also serves Tirana in the region.
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