Tariq Hassan
Karachi: flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing low-cost airline, has begun scheduled flights to Lahore, marking its fifth destination in Pakistan amid celebratory inaugural events.
Flight F3 655 from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport arrived in Lahore on Monday to a traditional water cannon salute, followed by cake-cutting festivities attended by airport and airline officials, including the crew operating the inaugural flight.
Expanding Presence Across Pakistan
The new twice-weekly service to Lahore increases flyadeal’s total capacity between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to 18 weekly flights across five cities — Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sialkot, and Lahore — all launched in phases since February this year.
flyadeal Chief Executive Officer Steven Greenway said, “It’s been an incredible achievement to build a countrywide operation from one to five cities across Pakistan in just eight months. Entering any market is always a baby step process, but our operational and commercial teams have done an impressive job to plan, launch, expand, and set up the necessary infrastructure so quickly to sell, market, and promote our flights in a short space of time.”
Pakistan: A Success Story for flyadeal
flyadeal Head of Sales Farooq Ahmad, speaking on arrival at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, said, “Pakistan has proved to be one of flyadeal’s success stories. We’ve matured very quickly in a country building confidence within the travel agency community to sell, and among consumers to fly with us, especially being a relatively new entrant to a dynamic market that Pakistan is. We look forward to continue building our partnerships given our extended reach in the country.”
Lahore Route Strengthens Cultural and Economic Links
As the capital of Punjab province, Lahore is known as the home of poets, philosophers, and artists — a major centre for education, publishing, and the country’s cultural hub, recognised by UNESCO as a City of Literature. The new Lahore route is expected to serve both inbound business traffic and migrant workers, as well as the large outbound Pakistani expatriate community living in the Kingdom, with flyadeal maintaining its focus on offering affordable, value-for-money fares.
Fleet and Future Growth
All flyadeal services to and from Pakistan are operated using Airbus A320 aircraft in a single 186-seat Economy Class configuration. The airline currently operates a modern fleet of 42 A320s from its bases in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam to more than 30 seasonal and year-round destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South Asia. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, flyadeal aims to triple its network to over 100 destinations and expand its fleet to more than 100 aircraft by 2030.
