RIYADH, 13 February 2007 — NAS Air, the second airline carrier licensed to operate in the Kingdom, disclosed its jaw-dropping prices as it officially starts operating in the Kingdom on Feb. 25.
In a ceremony held here yesterday, the carrier’s CEO Capt. Peter Griffiths said ticket prices are determined by the time the booking is done, just like other budget carriers operating around the world. In other words, a reserved flight from Jeddah to Riyadh can be as cheap as SR99 but go up to SR280. He added that all NAS Air carriers will be one class.
“Simply put, the earlier you book, the less you will pay, particularly if you pay online,” Griffiths said. “What we are trying to do is fill the aircraft as quickly as possible,” he noted. He also said that online payment facilities utilize state-of-the-art secure electronic commerce systems that ensure protection against fraud for credit card purchasing.
The company said it would start providing booths in major airports for passengers in the Kingdom on Feb. 25. Travelers can also reserve their seats by calling their nationwide number, or through travel agents. Tickets can also be purchased online from its newly launched website www.flynas.com.
The low-budget airline will initially operate with three Airbus A320s. By the end of 2007, its fleet is expected to rise to eight aircraft, Griffiths said. “Our strategy is to democratize air travel to its core,” he said. “Flying is not a privilege reserved to certain people in society.”
From March 31, the carrier will be adding additional daily flights to Madinah, Jizan and Rafha. From 2009, NAS Air intends to cover 23 major destinations all over Saudi Arabia. “That’s before we go international,” he pointed out. He said the company was completely Saudi-owned with two principal shareholders as well as small shareholders, without mentioning names. NAS Air is also expected to go public with a planned initial public offering (IPO) within two years, he added.
Taher Agueel, CEO of NAS, the carrier’s mother company, said he expected the number of passengers to grow as people in the Kingdom “find low-cost travel as exceptionally simple and easy to fly.”