63 aircraft deal confirmed by Saudi Arabian airlines

Saudi Arabian Airlines has committed to 28 wide-body jets from Boeing in a deal worth $8 billion at current list prices. The Jeddah-based ailine is also ordering 35 Airbus A320 and A321neo narrowbody aircraft according to director General Saleh bin Nasser al-Jasser.
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The widebody order includes fifteen 777-300ER (extended range) jets and thirteen 787 Dreamliners as part of a sweeping fleet modernisation and expansion.
Sulaiman Alhamdan, Saudi Arabia's transportation minister and the airline's chairman, announced the country's aircraft purchases saying the shopping spree aims to upgrade the airline's operational efficiency and effectiveness while improving its " total customer experience."
The Saudi airline said its aircraft purchases will help grow its fleet from 119 to to 200 aircraft by 2020 and move 45 million passengers a year on 1,000 daily flights around the world.
The airine will be taking 30 aircraft deliveries in 2017, the biggest in its 71 year history.
According to Saleh Aljasser, Saudi Arabian Airline's director general of engineering, both OEMs had committed to introducing a training programme for Saudi engineers to prepare for the MRO requirements of the aircraft at the airline’s home bases.
The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education will be providing 5,000 scholarships to send Saudi students to study aviation and aircraft maintenance in Europe and the USA.
 

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