Saudi's Flynas considering upgrading Airbus A320neo order

Saudi Arabian airline Flynas is considering upgrading part of its existing order for 80 Airbus A320neo jets to the larger A321 model, its CE said Tuesday. The airline, part owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s firm Kingdom Holding, ordered the A320neos worth $8.6b in 2017. “We (have) started evaluating and are in discussion with Airbus,” Bander Abdulrahman al-Mohanna said. The larger versions of Airbus’ new model narrow-body jet would mainly be used for flights to the Sub-continent and North Africa, he added. Mohanna did not say how many A321neos it could take as part of a potential order upgrade or when a decision could be made. The airline, which this year expects 10% growth on the 6.6m passengers it carried in 2018, has also been considering an order for wide-body jets. Flynas is weighing up Airbus’ A330neo and Boeing’s 787-8 jets, which would be used to carry Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest sites in Islam. “Unless we receive the offer that we are expecting we will not conclude any deal,” Mohanna said. <br/>