Saudia was advised by law-firm Norton Rose Fulbright on the airlines purchase of 50 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jets from manufacturer Lilium, with options for the purchase of 50 more.
The deal, which is the largest order of eVTOL aircraft from an airline to date in the MENA region, forms part of Saudia’s strategy to position itself as a MENA leader in the eVTOL industry. The order consists of both premium and shuttle aircraft, which will be used for both tourism and business transport associated with Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Global project.
The airline also added Medan to its scheduled and regular flight network, making it the second destination in the Republic of Indonesia after the capital, Jakarta. The airline has allocated four weekly flights in both directions between Medan and both Jeddah and Medina, with operations starting on August 31.