Jazeera Airways is planning to start a budget airline in Saudi Arabia. The low-cost airline will be based in King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the airline said in a statement.
The new airline is in sync with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic transformation programme, which seeks to expand the tourism and aviation sector.
“Co-ordination is under way with the regulatory authorities in the kingdom to complete procedures to obtain the necessary licences in accordance with the applicable laws,” Jazeera Airways said.
This announcement comes just a couple of days after the announcement of new national airline-Riyadh Air.
Jazeera Air posted a record annual profit of $66 million in 2022, almost triple figures as compared to 2021. The airline also tripled the number of passengers it carried in 2022, reaching 3.6 million.
In January 2022, the airline's board approved a $3.4 billion deal to buy 28 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus after signing a preliminary agreement in November 2021. The deal included 20 A320 Neos and eight A321 Neos.
Jazeera Airways currently operates a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft with a two-class cabin, providing both business and economy services. It also runs cargo flights.
The airline operates 19 aircraft serving 59 destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa and Europe.