Saudi Arabian Airlines said yesterday it will buy 15 new aircraft to fly domestic and regional routes and boost its 139-strong fleet, Arab News reported today. It said SAA's board of directors, headed by Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz, second deputy premier, minister of defense and aviation and inspector general, approved the purchase at its meeting recently. A company official said all 15 planes will be the same 66-seat model. "Saudi Arabian Airlines is the first airline in the Middle East to purchase this type of aircraft. These planes will be configured in a two-class layout with a total of 66 seats, of which six will be for first class," Dr. Khaled Bin-Bakr, SAA's director general, said. "The aircraft will offer optimum comfort and a highly reliable service and the purchase is fully self-financed by the airline," he added.
