European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has signed an agreement to sell 105 aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

The deal – described as the largest of its kind in the 90-year history of the country – concerns 93 A321 Neo planes and 12 A320 Neos for state-owned airline Saudia. The order could have been larger, but Airbus said in a statement that it does not have room in its order books to deliver more planes before 2032.

”We need more than 180 aircraft, but there is no space,” said Abdullah Alshahrani, a spokesman for Saudia, in an interview with Bloomberg.

The first deliveries are expected in 2026 and around half of the planes are intended for the Saudi-owned low-cost airline Flyadeal.

The Saudi government's plan is for Saudia to focus on travel for pilgrims, while the newly-started Riyadh Air aims for tourists. The ventures are part of a broader approach to increasing diversification in the Saudi economy.

The goal is to attract 150 million tourists a year from 2030.

Source:TT_DI.SE