Flynas to add Abu Dhabi flights

Saudi-based budget airline Flynas is increasing capacity between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates with new flights linking Abu Dhabi with Riyadh and Jeddah, UAE’s state news agency WAM reported.

Effective June 23, the airline will add a second daily service between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, increasing its combined offer with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways to four daily services.

On the same date, Flynas will also launch a daily flight between Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, complementing Etihad Airways’ existing thrice-daily services.

The announcement comes as part of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two airlines signed in October 2012.

The agreement allows Flynas to place its ‘XY’ code on multiple Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 destinations worldwide.

“Since its launch in December 2015, we have seen a significant increase in traffic on our daily Riyadh to Abu Dhabi route, owing to the strong demand for travel between the two capitals,” said Bander Al Mohanna, CEO of NAS Holding.

Flynas will now offer a total of 14 weekly flights from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi and seven flights a week from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways currently offers 63 weekly flights to KSA, serving Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah.