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Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing budget airline, has launched five new destinations from Madinah at the start of the new year, marking a significant expansion of its flight network. The airline announced the addition of scheduled flights to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport alongside four domestic destinations: Abha, Al Hofuf, Tabuk, and Jazan from Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, one of its newest operational bases in the Kingdom.
The expansion increases the total number of flyadeal destinations from Madinah from three to eight routes. Prior to this launch, the airline operated flights from Madinah to Dammam, Riyadh, and Cairo. The move represents a 40 percent increase in operational capacity, with weekly flights from Madinah rising to 88, according to the airline’s announcement.
Flyadeal Flight Network Expansion Strengthens Madinah Base
The airline has permanently stationed two aircraft at Madinah airport, joining its other operational bases in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. This strategic positioning provides greater operational flexibility and enables the carrier to add flights or introduce new destinations more efficiently. Airport officials from Madinah joined flyadeal executives, led by Roger van Eynck, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, in welcoming ceremonies celebrating the new route launches with travelers.
Steven Greenway, Chief Executive Officer of flyadeal, stated that operations from Madinah have shown gradual growth over the past period. However, the launch of five new destinations at the beginning of the year clearly reflects flyadeal’s commitment to establishing Madinah as one of its main operational bases, according to the announcement.
Enhanced Connectivity for Religious Travelers
The expanded schedule strengthens flyadeal’s year-round Umrah services, which operate directly to Madinah from several countries, in addition to flights routed through the coastal city of Jeddah. Madinah’s position as the second holiest city in the Islamic world makes it a natural choice for an operational base, serving as a major gateway for pilgrims and Umrah visitors throughout the year.
Additionally, the new domestic destinations cover multiple regions across the Kingdom. These include Jazan on the southwestern coast, Tabuk in the northwest, Al Hofuf in the Eastern Province, and Abha in the mountainous highlands of the southwestern Asir region. The expansion responds to growing demand for international travel for both leisure and business from residents and workers in Madinah and surrounding areas.
Strategic Growth Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030
Roger van Eynck noted that the launch of new destinations came in response to increasing demand from both domestic travelers and incoming pilgrims. The executive emphasized the airline’s commitment to working closely with authorities at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport to explore additional opportunities that enhance air connectivity, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
Meanwhile, approximately 60 percent of flyadeal’s fleet of 44 narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft are based at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The airline stations 11 aircraft at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, five at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and two at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, according to the company.
Ambitious Fleet Expansion Plans
Flyadeal’s growth strategy targets increasing its fleet size to more than 100 aircraft by 2030, alongside expanding its destination network to include over 100 routes within the next five years. In May 2024, the airline placed its largest-ever order for 51 aircraft, including 12 A320neos and 39 larger A321neos, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027. In contrast to its current narrow-body operations, flyadeal will launch scheduled long-haul services starting in 2027 with the gradual deployment of ten Airbus A330neo wide-body aircraft ordered by Saudia Group in April 2025.
Tickets for the new flights from Madinah are available for booking through the flyadeal smartphone app, the website, and authorized travel agents. The airline, which began operations on September 23, 2017, on Saudi Arabia’s National Day, was the first regional low-cost carrier launched exclusively through digital distribution channels. Since its inaugural flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, flyadeal has transported more than 40 million passengers.
The airline’s expansion campaign supports Saudi Arabia’s aviation and tourism sector development under Vision 2030’s economic diversification journey. Consequently, flyadeal aims to triple its destination network and more than double its fleet size by the end of the decade, positioning itself as one of the fastest-growing budget carriers in the Middle East region.
Further route additions and schedule adjustments are expected as flyadeal continues to evaluate market demand from its Madinah base, though specific timelines for additional destinations have not been confirmed by the airline.
