Nas Air ( طيران ناس). XY. KNE

Saudi Arabian carrier Nasair (XY) is planning to phase out its six Embraer E-190s and two E-195s, and grow to a single-type fleet of 40 Airbus A320s within four years to bring down operating costs.

XY, which launched in February 2007, currently operates 16 aircraft to six cities in Saudi Arabia and 21 international destinations in the region.

The E-Jets, which were used on domestic routes, are too small to meet growth demands.

Speaking at the World Route Development Forum in Abu Dhabi, XY CEO Francois Bouteiller said, “Today, with our expansion from 700,000 to 3 million passengers in just three years, we need more seats and more capacity. We will be phasing out the Embraers gradually, probably within next 24 months.”

XY has two bases—Riyadh and Jeddah—with A320s and E-Jets. “Having two aircraft types at two bases is like having four aircraft types, which is nightmare to manage. Having one fleet will definitely improve our bottom line and unit costs.”

The changes come as XY enters a rapid development phase. “Today we operate 16 aircraft,” Bouteiller said. “We will increase that number year-on-year for the next four years to reach vicinity of 40 aircraft, so we will almost double our fleet.”[b]