Bullish on the fast-growing Indian aviation market, Saudi Arabia's no-frills carrier flyadeal will start flights to Indian cities, including Mumbai, from the first quarter of 2026.

The airline's CEO, Steven Greenway, told PTI that India is one of the "most hyper-competitive markets" in the world and there is a need to have an "absolute, brutal focus on unit cost".

A sister company of Saudia Airlines, the Jeddah-based profitable flyadeal has been flying for over eight years and expects to have 46 planes in its fleet by the end of this year. Currently, the carrier has 42 A320 family aircraft and has also placed orders for 10 wide-body A330 Neos that are expected to start coming in from July 2027.

"Our intent is to start operating (to India) in the quarter one of next year... We expect to

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