The ambitious ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ aims to attract 150 million visitors annually and the rise of Saudi Arabia’s air transport sector is among our industry’s biggest stories right now. The airlines and airports taking shape there will redefine excellence and disruptive approaches, including flyadeal – the digitally-native low-cost airline that is part of Saudi’s flag carrier Saudia. Steven Greenway, CEO, flyadeal, is at the forefront of steering the dynamic carrier into a new era of exponential growth, playing a pivotal role in the transformative journey of Saudia. In this interview, ahead of his Keynote Address at the co-located FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing events (Dublin, 11-13 June 2024), Greenway shares how the air transport landscape in Saudi Arabia is set to redefine passenger expectations and reshape industry strategies for the future, and how flyadeal is “investing in disruptive technology to make the passenger experience simple, efficient and user-friendly”.
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Steven Greenway was appointed CEO of Saudi low-cost airline flyadeal in January 2024. “The pace at which the Kingdom is growing with mass investment in infrastructure, including aviation and tourism, is just staggering,” Greenway begins. “So for me, it was about taking a deep breath and a holistic overview of what’s happening. Having witnessed dramatic changes on every visit to Saudi Arabia over the years, I needed to sit down, reflect and look at the business accordingly. Travel is clearly booming, and my priorities have been about continuing the fine work of my predecessor; to ensure flyadeal remains on track, yet leverage the solid foundation and take it to the next phase of high growth; and work with the wonderful team I’ve adopted to explore opportunities that exceed our mandate as a low-cost airline serving the travelling public.”
He also recently returned to the FTE Executive Advisory Board, having previously been a member during an airline career that includes extensive experience in Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East over the last 25 years, with senior roles at the likes of Swoop, WestJet, Scoot, Virgin Blue, and Virgin Atlantic. “The experience of working in different markets, absorbing different cultures, understanding different consumer behaviours and, importantly, engaging with employees from different backgrounds, has enabled me to bring an informed approach to flyadeal. As they say ‘there’s nothing like first-hand experience’,” Greenway explains. “But the principle of low-cost travel remains the same; it’s just refining the approach bringing in new ideas and adapting to local needs where needed.”
Indeed, having spent most of his career working in the LCC environment in Asia, Greenway notes that the Middle East today is almost a replica of what Asia was like 10 years ago, so there is a lot to share in terms of best practice.
“The visionary approach of Future Travel Experience has shaped our industry over the years”
Greenway is also looking forward to sharing his experience as a member of the expanded FTE Executive Advisory Board. “I am extremely delighted to have been invited back to the Executive Advisory Board and be able to share my experiences and insights with industry peers. The visionary approach of Future Travel Experience has shaped our industry over the years with initiatives that have been adopted by stakeholders to improve the customer journey at every touchpoint. FTE has done a fantastic job in advocating collaboration and knowledge sharing as the way forward.”
At the co-located FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing events – taking place in Dublin, 11-13 June 2024 – Greenway will deliver a Keynote Address, focusing on ‘How will disruption of the air transport industry in Saudi Arabia reset passenger expectations, and industry approaches, in the years to come?’
“Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation is in fact disrupting the country’s entire travel industry, not just tourism,” he shares. “Mass development of hotels, infrastructure improvements of road and rail transport, an overhaul of the Kingdom’s 30-plus airports, and of course an aviation sector with new entrants and routes. High levels of customer service and passenger expectations will rightly be top of the agenda. Given that the Kingdom expects a 50% increase in domestic and international tourists to 150 million by 2030, this inevitably puts pressure on the entire travel and tourism ecosystem, and customer service will define how the industry develops. It’s an opportunity to create new standards, capitalise on the digital revolution and technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) that will play an increasingly important role in the evolution of our industry.”
To help develop and drive new ideas and collaborations, working in partnership with Fast Future, FTE is launching The Future Differentiation & Business Models Think Tank. Greenway is among the leading industry executives on the Think Tank, alongside Sascha Feuerherd, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder, Beond; Sammy Patel, Vice President, Commercial, Vantage Airport Group; Guðmundur Daði Rúnarsson, Chief Commercial and Airport Development Officer, Keflavik Airport; Martin Jones, CEO, CAVU; and team captain Rohit Talwar, CEO, Fast Future. The team will collaborate and engage to create a unique vision and presentation deck that will be shared exclusively at the co-located FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing events, with the aims of inspiring attendees and setting the tone for everything that follows at the show.
“As technology develops, we’re always exploring best practices to not only enhance but challenge ourselves as pioneers”
Saudi Vison 2030, the Kingdom’s target year for industries to reach certain growth levels, is flyadeal’s focus too. Its fleet will triple in size to over 100 aircraft within six years through continued investment in fuel-efficient aircraft. This year is all about strengthening the domestic network, which accounts for 80% of the airline’s operations.
“From 2025, it’s about ramping up growth beyond Saudi Arabia,” Greenway explains. “Our network will increase three-fold to 100 destinations by 2030 tapping into new markets in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Our strategy continues to be a pioneering and innovating airline, investing in disruptive technology to make the passenger experience simple, efficient and user-friendly. Though our enhanced new-age digital mobile app we hope to achieve 99% of all transactions, including managing bookings, by the end of this year.”
flyadeal began life as the Middle East’s first airline to launch only on digital platforms. “We’ve never looked back,” says Greenway. “Continued investment in new technology and latest applications have been integral to our growth strategy. As technology develops, we’re always exploring best practices to not only enhance but challenge ourselves as pioneers. There are also great opportunities to leverage the Saudia Group which is undergoing an extensive transformation. So watch this space!”
By the middle of this year flyadeal will hit a cumulative total of 30 million passengers flown since its first flight in September 2017. The airline will round off 2024 having carried 10 million passengers in a calendar year for the first time, and grow its headcount by almost 80% to 2,000 employees. Greenway adds that flyadeal wants to be the airline of choice with eyes on a bigger network and more milestone figures reached in passengers, fleet and routes over the next 10 years. “But I think the narrative will be driven by the vast scale in which the Kingdom’s tourism infrastructure is developing to swell the number of domestic and inbound tourists, including vitally important Hajj and Umrah religious movements. Saudi Arabia is a large country that all of a sudden opened up to the world. International visitors are beginning to discover the Kingdom, Saudis are increasingly discovering parts of their own country while also taking more international trips. The appetite for travel and discovery is, and will, continue to accelerate.”
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