Saudi charter operator National Air Services (NAS) is close to finalising delivery details with Airbus for the two A319 Corporate Jetliners (ACJ) it plans to deploy on its Al-Khalaya scheduled business-class shuttle service.
Al-Khalaya services will include three-times-daily ACJ flights between the Saudi capital Riyadh and the main business centre Jeddah in the third quarter, says Mohammed al-Zeer, NAS chief executive. The aircraft will join the NAS charter fleet on the Arabic weekend, flying to destinations such as Beirut in Lebanon, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, he adds.
NAS is concluding its interior specification with Airbus, which is likely to be a "40-plus-seat" VIP configuration, says al-Zeer.
NAS, a NetJets Middle East fractional ownership programme operator, is the largest Boeing Business Jet operator in the region, but says Airbus offered "an interesting proposition".
Source: Flight International
