Saudia deploys low-capacity Airbus A320 jets on select European routes including UK

These seven A320s are among the oldest in Saudia’s fleet—ranging from just over 13 years to nearly 16 years old—and have been fully paid off by the airline. After refurbishment, each plane features 20 fully flat business class seats and 90 economy class seats. This setup also includes seatback entertainment screens across all cabins and onboard Wi-Fi.

In November, these low-capacity jets will operate primarily on European routes (60% of flights), with domestic flights making up another significant portion (39%), and a small number serving other Middle Eastern cities (1%). Ten European routes are scheduled during the winter month under review; six depart from Riyadh, three from Jeddah, and one route connects Neom Bay—a high-profile development project on the Red Sea—to London Gatwick.

The Neom Bay to London Gatwick service uses this special A320 configuration twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays (SV103 departs Neom Bay at 06:10 local time; SV104 leaves Gatwick at 11:30 local time). Previously operated by a larger Boeing 787-9 flying into Heathrow Airport, the route was switched to Gatwick using smaller aircraft to optimize resources.

Passenger numbers between Neom Bay and Gatwick have grown steadily since February but remain below capacity. Between February and July this year, Saudia carried a total of 4,321 passengers out of a possible 8,800 available seats—an average load factor of just under half (49%), peaking at about 59% in July.

On October 10th this year, Saudia inaugurated service between Riyadh and Moscow Sheremetyevo airport using a large-capacity Boeing 787-10 for its first round-trip before switching subsequent flights to the smaller A320 with just over one hundred seats. According to Flightradar24 data cited in the report, slower cruise speeds meant longer flight times when compared with larger jets like the Dreamliner used initially for publicity purposes.

Saudia now becomes one of two airlines offering direct service between Riyadh and Moscow alongside flynas.

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