DUBAI: Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal aims to decide whether to order Airbus or Boeing narrow-body jets by the end of this month, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
Flyadeal, a subsidiary of state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines, had been due to decide on the order for 30 Airbus A320neos or Boeing 737 MAXs in the second quarter but held off to further assess the performance of the revamped models.
“We want some evidence because we’re committing a huge chunk of capital,” Con Korfiatis told Reuters at a Dubai conference, adding that the planemakers had competed “very vigorously.”
Flyadeal is a pure low-cost airline, with passengers charged for meals and checked luggage, a model that has so far not had major success in the Middle East beyond UAE-headquartered Air Arabia.
The order for the planes, which are the latest versions of world’s most used jets and typically employed for short to medium haul flights, would be worth more than $3 billion at current list prices, although industry sources say discounts of around 50 percent are common on such large orders.
Although the world’s two largest planemakers say they are mostly sold out of the jets until 2024, the order will give flyadeal a pipeline allowing it to plan for long-term growth.
The airline, which plans to add around 10 aircraft a year to its fleet from 2020, will next year start leasing the model of jet it orders until it receives its first aircraft from the production line, Korfiatis said.
Flyadeal operates a fleet of eight leased Airbus A320ceos and will add another three by early January 2019, allowing it to expand from 10 to 14 domestic destinations.
The airline, which launched in September 2017, has carried more than 2 million passengers so far and expects to carry more than 3.5 million in 2019, Korfiatis said.
It is also planning to launch its first international flight next year which will likely be to Egypt, Turkey, or to other Gulf Arab countries.
Saudi budget carrier flyadeal to pick Airbus or Boeing jets by end of month
Saudi budget carrier flyadeal to pick Airbus or Boeing jets by end of month
Citi shuts most UAE branches temporarily as banks evacuate offices in region
DUBAI: Citibank will close most of its UAE branches and financial centers until March 14 as a precaution, its website showed on Thursday, as banks in the region sent staff home in response to a deepening Middle East conflict.
The US financial group’s measures are the latest sign of growing concern among banks after Iran threatened Gulf banking interests linked to the US and Israel.
The Citi branch in the Mall of the Emirates in central Dubai is exempted from the closure, the bank said on its website, adding it plans to reopen all affected branches on March 16.
Citi had moved to a fully remote model for all UAE-based staff and was continuing to serve clients without interruption, a spokesperson for the bank told Reuters.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has so far killed around 2,000 people and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos as the conflict has spread across the Middle East, with Iranian strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states.
Citi told its staff to evacuate offices in the Dubai International Financial Center and Dubai’s Oud Metha district this week and to work from home until further notice.
“The decision to evacuate three of our buildings and to close branches in the UAE was responsive to information we received and is consistent with our commitment to prioritize the safety of our colleagues,” the spokesperson said.
HSBC, another major global bank, has closed all branches in Qatar until further notice, a customer notice said, to ensure the safety of staff and customers.
The war has dented Dubai’s sales pitch to international businesses as the region’s most reliable economic hub, prompting concerns of capital flight, layoffs and firms relocating elsewhere, Reuters reported last week.
Citi said on its website that its phone banking service in the UAE was currently operating at a limited capacity and the processing of cheques would experience delays.
