The Airbus A321neo has rapidly become a strong favourite for airlines since its launch. Furthermore it has become a serious competitor to the Boeing 737 MAX series with its range, capacity and mainly its efficiency. Carriers around the globe have been deploying the type on medium to long range routes with limited demand. Now a new airline has welcomed the newest version of the Airbus A321 in its fleet. Saudia just welcomed the first A321neo with many more yet to come. Let’s find out more about Saudia receiving its first A321neo planes.
Saudia Receives First A321neo With Many More To Come
The Saudi flag carrier, a SkyTeam member, in the first months of 2023 its first Airbus A321neo with the second arriving just a couple of weeks ago in July.
Saudia already operates a fleet of 15 A321ceo, therefore the arrival of these new planes will expand this fleet and replace the older ageing models.
The first 2 Airbus A321neo to join the Saudi Arabian Airlines’ fleet are registrations:
| Aircraft Type | Registration | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| A321-251NX | HZ-ASAA | 14/04/2023 |
| A321-251NX | HZ-ASAB | 12/07/2023 |
How Many A321neo Will Saudia Stil Receive?
The modernisation and expansion of the Saudi Arabian Airlines fleet, along with the launch of the new carrier Riyadh Air, is part of a bigger plan to make of Saudi Arabia an aviation and tourism hub on a global scale. KSA intends to attract by 2030 a whopping 330 million visitors per year.
Therefore there will be many more planes coming to Saudi Arabia to enhance the current carriers’ fleets. This is also the case for the Airbus A321neo.
Saudia has on Airbus’ order books another 35 of the type, with 20 expected to join the Skyteam airline’s fleet by 2026.
The Saudi Arabian Airlines A321neo Configuration
The middle eastern carrier has already started services using the Airbus A321neo since some time now. The cabin configuration chosen for the aircraft is a classic 2 class layout featuring:
- 20 Business Class Seats
- 168 Economy Class Seats
How Will The Airline Use the Airbus A321neo?
The aircraft is a perfect match for Saudi Arabian’s medium range flights which at the moment might not always have heavy loads. In particular the plane fits perfectly into the airline’s European and North African operations, where flights clock in between 4 and 5 hours.
For instance in the month of July 2023 the new HZ-ASAB and HZ-ASAA Airbus A321neo were often deployed for flights in the Gulf region along with Milan and Frankfurt in Europe.
With more planes of the type joining the fleet I expect to see more services of this type, particularly during low seasonalities. Expect the new Saudia A321neo to possibly also fly to the Indian subcontinent and maybe even to southeast Asia.
