RIYADH: Kayala Airline, an all-Business-class carrier based in the Kingdom, announced yesterday the suspension of its flights from April 1.
The airline, owned by National Air Services group (NAS Holding), a private Riyadh-based aviation company, offers only First and Business class services. The carrier operates a fleet of Airbus A319 aircraft designed to carry up to 140 passengers but with a modified capacity of 44 passengers to ensure maximum in-flight comfort. Its popular destinations include Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai.
“The suspension was based on the decision of the executive management of NAS Holding,” Sulaiman Abdullah Al-Hamdan, CEO of the company, said. The decision was taken following a comprehensive study of both operational and marketing aspects as well as financial returns, he added.
Al-Hamdan said continuing Kayala operations was no longer feasible with mounting costs and decreased demand.
“We expect our Kayala customers to understand the management decision and the rationale behind it,” the CEO said. He added that the company was now conducting a comprehensive feasibility study for a similar project that might be launched in the future.
NAS Holding consists of three business sectors including the commercial sector that comprises Nasair and Kayala, Private Jets fractional ownership represented by NetJets Middle East and NAS Executive for managing aircraft and special projects within both the government and private sectors.
