Saudi Arabian budget airline Flynas signed a preliminary order with Airbus for 10 long-range A321 aircraft, the A321XLR, as it seeks to expand its route network.
As part of the deal, the low-cost carrier also agreed to upgrade a previous order for 10 A320neo jets to the A321neo, it said on Thursday.
The A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, twin-engine jets, while the A321XLR is a long-range single aisle designed to carry passengers longer-haul routes at a lower cost.
Flynas, which is partly owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding, operates a fleet of 30 A320ceos and 2 A320neos. Since 2007, it has embarked on a strategy to expand its network and passenger capacity and service more long-haul destinations.
“The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR, which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines,” Flynas’ statement said.
From 2023, the A321XLR will deliver an extra-long range of up to 4,700 nautical miles – 15 per cent more than the A321LR and with 30 per cent lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft, Airbus said this month.
Airbus has not provided a list price for the A321XLR. However, the list price of the baseline A321 is $129.5 million.
This will enable operators to open new international routes to India, Europe China and Australia, as well as extending the Airbus family’s non-stop reach on direct transatlantic flights between continental Europe and the Americas.
In 2018, Flynas carried around 6.6 million passengers on 60,000 domestic and international flights.
“The A321XLR’s new airspace cabin will provide the best travel experience, while offering seats in all classes with the same high-comfort as on a long-haul wide-body, with the low costs of a single-aisle aircraft,” Flynas said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
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