Low-cost airline Flynas has reopened bookings for its long-haul routes, which connect Jeddah to Casablanca and other destinations including London, Manchester, Karachi, Lahore and Kuala Lumpur.
The Saudi specialist in low-cost flights spreads its wings on the long-haul: departures Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:55 p.m. to arrive the next day at 2:00 a.m., and return from Morocco Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 3:30 a.m. to land at 1:10 p.m.
Flynas is in competition with Royal Air Maroc and Saudia on this route, operated like the others on board an Airbus A330 configured to accommodate 12 passengers in Business class (flat seat bed, pitch of 60 inches) and an undetermined number in Economy (32 inch pitch).
Two European routes have been created, still offered three times a week by A330: London-Gatwick will be served from April 8 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (departure from Jeddah at 4:45 a.m., return at 9:25 a.m.), opposite British Airways and Saudia. Manchester will be there from May 2 (departures Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3:55 a.m., returns at 10:15 a.m.) against Saudia, which takes over this line on April 1. Kuala Lumpur is the furthest destination so far for Flynas, which will depart from April 6 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8:00 p.m. (arriving the following day at 10:30 a.m.), with return flights leaving Malaysia on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. at 12:40 p.m. (arrival in Jeddah at 4:25 p.m.).
The competition this time comes from Saudia, Malaysia Airlines and the low cost AirAsia X, but Malaysia is a market that the CEO of Flynas Raja Azmi knows well since he was chief financial officer of AirAsia; and he promises “lower prices than local competition”, with whom he would already be discussing to sign code-sharing agreements. Finally, two destinations in Pakistan are already open for booking: Karachi (departures from Jeddah on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8.45 p.m., return the next day at 4.30 a.m.) and Lahore (departures Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3.05 a.m., return at 11.35 a.m. ), both facing competition from Saudia, Pakistan International Airlines, Air Blue and Shaheen Air. Flynas has already published the timetables for another announced destination, Jakarta in Indonesia with departures Monday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. (return 8:50 p.m.) and Tuesday at 2:20 p.m. (return Wednesday 2:10 a.m.), but booking is still impossible; However, there is still no trace of the planned flight to Paris.
Until now relatively in the shadow of Air Arabia and Flydubai, Flynas remains alone with Saudia to offer domestic flights in Saudi Arabia. It therefore joins Norwegian Air Shuttle, AirAsia X, Jetstar Airways, Scoot and other Cebu Pacific who have all launched themselves in the low cos long-haul niche.
