Saudi Arabia-based carrier Flynas said its board approved establishing local units in two more countries as part of a plan to become the Middle East’s largest discount airline and one of the five biggest globally.
Flynas, headquartered in Riyadh, said it would seek so-called Air Operator Certificates in two unidentified countries as it looks to double the scale of its operations, according to a statement to Bloomberg.
As part of the push, Flynas plans to expand its existing jet orders to 250 and previously said it was considering widebody models such as the Boeing Co 787 and Airbus SE A350 , pivoting beyond its current fleet of Airbus SE narrowbody jets.
Flynas, which began flying as Nas Air in 2007, is partly owned by Kingdom Holding Co., the investment vehicle of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal.