In a landmark move for Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector, flyadeal, the Kingdom’s leading low-cost carrier, has officially inaugurated its fourth operational base at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) in Medina.

The expansion, which went live on January 1st and has reached full operational capacity this week, represents a 40% hike in the airline's weekly flights from the Holy City. By permanently stationing two Airbus A320 aircraft at the new base, flyadeal is positioning itself as a primary gateway for both domestic travellers and international pilgrims, directly supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals of enhancing religious tourism and regional connectivity.

Strategic Network Surge

The transformation of Medina into a hub has allowed flyadeal to expand its route network from the city from three destinations to eight. The new network features a mix of high-demand domestic links and strategic international gateways. Notably, the airline has launched its second international destination from Medina, connecting the city directly to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport.

“We have steadily built capacity from Madinah, but this expansion of five new routes at the beginning of the year is a statement of intent from flyadeal to develop Madinah into one of our key operational bases,” stated Steven Greenway, CEO of flyadeal. “Having aircraft positioned in Madinah gives us the flexibility to quickly upgrade with more frequencies or add routes to a schedule which will continue to be built up.”

Bridging the Kingdom

The five new direct routes from the Medina base connect the western province to the northwest (Tabuk), the southwest (Abha and Jazan), and the Eastern Province (Al Hofuf). This internal grid-strengthening is expected to facilitate smoother business and leisure travel within Saudi Arabia while providing "Umrah-plus" travellers more options to explore the Kingdom.

Rogier van Enk, flyadeal Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, highlighted the dual purpose of the expansion:

“The additional routes aim to cater to both outbound travel for holidaymakers and business travellers living and working in and around Madinah, while also attracting inbound pilgrims.”

Brand New Air Operations

Data valid as of January 7, 2026. The schedule reflects new direct services launched with the fourth base inauguration.

*Includes a brief scheduled stop; check flyadeal app for seasonal direct flight adjustments.

Building Toward a 100-Aircraft Fleet

With this expansion, flyadeal's fleet of 44 Airbus A320s is now strategically spread across four bases: Riyadh (the primary hub), Jeddah, Dammam, and now Medina. The airline remains on a rapid growth trajectory to triple its network to over 100 destinations by the end of the decade.