SAUDI ARABIA: Air Arabia Eyes 50 Aircraft for New Dammam Carrier Within Five Years

DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia

• Air Arabia’s new low-cost carrier based at Dammam King Fahd International Airport (DMM/OEDF) plans to grow to a fleet of up to 50 aircraft within five years of operations, Group CEO Adel Ali said.
• Launched in September, Air Arabia Dammam is a joint venture between UAE-based Air Arabia Group (49%) and Saudi firms Nesma Group and KUN Holding Company with the majority stake.
• The airline currently operates two Airbus A320-214s (HZ-DMMA and HZ-DMMB, both delivered in late July 2026) on domestic routes linking Dammam with Riyadh (RUH/OERK), Jeddah (JED/OEJN), and Medina (MED/OEMA).
• Ali said the carrier will add two more aircraft “soon” and intends to launch international flights once the regional war with Iran and its proxy in Yemen ends.
• In the first days of operations from 20 September, load factors exceeded 80%. Ali declined to give current figures but described domestic Saudi demand as “good.”
• Ali said Air Arabia Group is scheduled to take delivery of 100 Airbus A320/1neo Family jets in the coming years and remains open to leasing additional aircraft if required for the Saudi operation. Air Arabia Group operated 96 aircraft as of August.
• He expects regional travel demand to “bounce back stronger” once the conflict eases, comparing the current disruption favourably with the recovery from Covid.
• Air Arabia is also expanding elsewhere: Fly Jinnah in Pakistan now operates 14 aircraft, with further growth planned in the UAE (Sharjah and Abu Dhabi) and new European routes from Sharjah to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf from mid-December.

Sources:

• Arabian Business
• Air Arabia PR