flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, celebrated on Monday, July 24, its expansion of air connectivity with Egypt by becoming the first Saudi carrier to operate direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Sphinx International Airport in Cairo. The celebration was attended by the Saudi Ambassador to Egypt, Osama Bin Ahmed Nugali, flynas CEO and Managing Director, Bander Almohanna, and representatives of government entities in Egypt. "We are proud to be the first Saudi carrier to operate direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Sphinx International Airport in Cairo," said Almohanna. "This is a significant milestone for flynas as it takes our expansion plans in the Egyptian market to a new level. Egypt is a huge market, and at the same time, it is a gateway to Africa, giving flynas a remarkable edge as we pursue our growth and expansion strategy in destinations and routes." flynas now operates 128 weekly direct flights between Egypt and the Kingdom. The leading Saudi LCC connects the two countries with direct flights from 5 Saudi cities, namely Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, and Al-Ula to Cairo, Sohag, Sharm El-Sheikh, and Hurghada. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Egyptian and the Saudi Civil Aviation authorities for supporting our drive to enhance air connectivity between the two countries," added Almohanna. The two new routes from Riyadh and Jeddah to Sphinx International Airport offer more affordable options for travellers between the two countries. They are part of flynas' expansion plan launched early last year under the slogan "We Connect the World to the Kingdom." This plan is in line with the National Civil Aviation Strategy to reach 330 million passengers and 100 million tourists by 2030, and to increase the number of international destinations connected to the Kingdom to more than 250 destinations. flynas connects more than 70 domestic and international destinations with more than 1,500 weekly flights. Since its launch in 2007, the airline has flown more than 60 million passengers. flynas aims to reach 165 domestic and international destinations by 2030, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030. The success of flynas has been recognized with many international awards, including Skytrax International Award as the Best Low-cost Airline in the Middle East in 2023 for the sixth time in a row and the 4th Best LCC worldwide. It is the highest worldwide award in the aviation sector since its launch in 1999. Meanwhile, flynas won the Best Low-cost Airline Award in the Middle East from the World Travel Awards in 2022 for the eighth year in a row. In an assessment by the non-profit organization APEX, one of the most significant international airline associations, which included 600 airlines of various categories worldwide, flynas came in the four-star category, the highest category for low-cost airlines worldwide.
