flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing low-cost airline, has officially introduced cabin crew as certified tour guides in a ground-breaking regional initiative.
The first batch of 10 male and female crew completed comprehensive training in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia enabling them to serve as cultural ambassadors promoting the Kingdom to international visitors.
As endorsed tour guide licence holders, they will be able to provide visitors with guided trips to cultural and historical sites in Saudi Arabia in a private capacity. Specifically designed for Saudi nationals, the course is being run by a training institute accredited by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism.
Announced at the inaugural TOURISE Summit in Riyadh, the initiative is the first of its kind in the Middle East – if not the world – aimed at cabin crew.
Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “This programme demonstrates flyadeal’s continued efforts to support the Kingdom’s drive to build a dynamic tourism industry.
“As flying ambassadors, who better than our Saudi crew to serve as frontline cultural representatives to promote their own country and share both knowledge and insights when interacting with passengers from around the world.”
Saudi Arabia is looking to welcome 150 million domestic and international visitors by 2030 as part of the nation’s economic diversification strategy, with tourism infrastructure scaling up across the country.
A Ministry of Tourism spokesman said: “The key to achieving this target are human capital initiatives. The Ministry recently launched Ahluha Platform, a programme to foster a community of tourism professionals and trainees across Saudi Arabia to build a skilled tourism workforce that promotes Saudi destinations in the Kingdom and around the world. This also increases the participation of tour guides to enrich the tourist experience.”
Mohammed Mudhish, flyadeal Chief People Officer, added: “flyadeal is proud to launch this exciting project working closely with the Ministry of Tourism. It gives our crew the confidence and opportunity to develop their hospitality skills and give back to the nation. Having secured our first batch of accredited tour guides with more already undergoing training, the initiative has gained significant interest among our crew community.”
Saudi Arabia is on a fast track to redefine its position on the global tourism map with large-scale projects, airport upgrades, and mega new aviation cities being developed as more Saudis are discovering their own country and international visitors are attracted by the Kingdom’s new-found status.
flyadeal is already playing a key role in national efforts to promote tourism in, and to the Kingdom through an expanding partnership with Saudi Tourism Authority. The airline operates a large domestic network of 19 towns and cities across all national provinces, with a rising international network that currently stands at 13 destinations served year-round.
By 2030, flyadeal expects to triple its network to more than 100 destinations with a fleet also increasing three-fold to over 100 aircraft. flyadeal currently operates 43 Airbus A320 family aircraft on short- and medium-haul routes from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
TOURISE is the world’s premier platform for shaping the future of global tourism, bringing together leaders from across multiple sectors around the world to redefine the industry.
About flyadeal
On 23 September 2017, National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, flyadeal began operations with its historic maiden flight from Jeddah to Riyadh. A pioneer and innovator, flyadeal was the first regional low-cost airline to be launched only across digital distribution channels. Being the sister airline of full-service national carrier Saudia — both under the umbrella ownership of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation (Saudia Group) — flyadeal was created for the price-conscious and tech-savvy consumer in mind in a market where 80 per cent of the Saudi population is aged less than 40 years and has at least two mobile phones.
flyadeal aims to stimulate travel, tourism and trade with its affordable, value for money everyday fares catering to leisure, religious, family and business travellers. Simplicity is key with an all-Economy Class cabin across flyadeal’s narrowbody fleet. With the Kingdom undergoing dramatic transformation through its Vision 2030 economic diversification drive, aviation and tourism are among the many sectors earmarked for dynamic growth. flyadeal is the fastest growing airline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East, recognised for excellence in on-time performance that is consistently above the global industry average.
flyadeal operates a young fleet of Airbus A320 narrowbody aircraft flying from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to destinations across Saudi Arabia with a growing international footprint in Europe, Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The airline has flown over 40 million passengers since its inaugural flight. In May 2024, flyadeal placed its biggest ever order for 51 aircraft – 12 A320neos and 39 larger A321neos – with a delivery schedule beginning in 2027. In addition, flyadeal will operate long-haul scheduled services from 2027 with the phased induction of 10 Airbus A330neo widebody aircraft ordered by Saudia Group in April 2025.
By 2030, flyadeal plans to operate hundreds of routes that will see its fleet and network triple in number to over 100 aircraft and destinations, respectively. flyadeal’s aggressive expansion drive makes the rapidly growing airline one of the country’s most desirable companies to work for.
Featured image credited to flyadeal
