RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier flynas received five new Airbus A320neo aircraft on Wednesday, raising its fleet to 56 airliners. The acquisitions mean the budget airline has seen a 100 percent growth over the last two years, according to a press release. The fleet expansion also aligns with the Kingdom’s National Civil Aviation Strategy to reach 330 million passengers and to increase the number of international destinations linked to 250 by 2030. Furthermore, it positions well with the expansion strategy launched by flynas early last year under the slogan “We Connect the World to the Kingdom.” “The rise of our fleet will enable us to increase our expansion plans in the current year through the launch of new domestic and international destinations, and in particular, the company, over the next weeks, will receive new eight planes as part of the batch scheduled for delivery in 2023 in a total of 19 aircraft, within an order of purchasing 120 aircraft from Airbus in a total amount exceeding SR32 billion ($8.5 billion),” said CEO and Managing Director of flynas Bander Al-Mohanna. He continued that the company proceeds to strengthen its role as the largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and one of the top 5 airlines worldwide. The CEO added: “This new batch of aircraft reflects flynas’s commitment to achieving its strategy of growth and expansion by upscaling its fleet and multiplying the seating capacity of domestic and international flights in line with objectives of the program of serving pilgrims to streamline access to the two holy mosques and the national strategy of civil aviation to enable national airlines to participate in linking the world with the Kingdom.” The national carrier has expanded its fleet of A320neo aircraft to a total of 39 planes, now accounting for approximately 70 percent of its entire stock. This step emphasizes the company’s dedication to sustainability, as the aircraft is renowned for being an environmentally friendly and highly fuel-efficient model. In August, the Kingdom’s commitment to a circular economy drew the attention of the aviation sector, with flynas signing an agreement with Saudi Investment Recycling Co. to embrace integrated waste management practices. According to a press statement released at the time, the memorandum of understanding will help the airline explore partnership opportunities in sustainability to work toward an advanced circular economy. It will also look into recycling solutions from the operational waste collected from airlines, including oils, plastics, and batteries, the statement explained at the time.