Nas Air (ICAO: KNE) Airline: A Comprehensive Overview
Nas Air, which rebranded to flynas in November 2013, is a private Saudi low-cost airline and the first budget carrier in Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2007, flynas began operations on February 25, 2007. Headquartered in Riyadh, the airline has grown significantly since its inception, positioning itself as a key player in the Middle Eastern aviation market.
The airline's main operational base is King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh. It also maintains significant hubs at King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah, King Fahd International Airport (DMM) in Dammam, and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) in Madinah. As of October 2025, flynas operates a fleet of 66 aircraft, primarily consisting of modern, fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo (60 aircraft), supplemented by four A320ceo aircraft and two wide-body A330 aircraft. The airline has ambitious plans for fleet expansion, with orders for 280 Airbus aircraft, including A320neo, A321neoXLR, and A330neo models, aiming to increase its total fleet to 160 by 2030.
flynas boasts an extensive route network, operating over 2000 weekly flights across 139 routes to more than 70 domestic and international destinations in 30 countries. Its destinations span the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa, with a strategic focus on connecting the world with Saudi Arabia, including facilitating pilgrim travel. As a low-cost carrier, flynas focuses on affordable travel. While it emphasizes an "enhanced product," services generally align with the budget airline model, with options for purchasing food onboard and no listed membership in major airline alliances such like Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or Oneworld. Before each flight, a verse from the Quran is recited as a prayer.
Traveler reviews for flynas indicate a mixed to predominantly negative sentiment, particularly regarding operational consistency and customer support.
What Travelers Love:
Common Complaints:
Overall, traveler sentiment suggests that while flynas offers competitive pricing, the trade-off often involves inconsistencies in operational reliability and a less-than-satisfactory customer service experience.
flynas maintains a strong safety reputation, supported by international certifications and a modern fleet.
The airline holds an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registration, an internationally recognized system for evaluating an airline's operational management and control systems. This certification is a prerequisite for IATA membership, which flynas officially joined in February 2020.
Regarding its safety record, flynas has been awarded a 7-star safety rating by AirlineRatings.com, which is considered the highest safety ranking globally due to its "tremendous safety record". The airline continually monitors its operations to ensure compliance with stringent safety requirements. While several minor incidents have been reported, such as a runway excursion at Riyadh in April 2024 and isolated engine failures in 2023 and August 2025, these have generally resulted in light damage and no injuries. Additionally, flynas efficiently addressed an urgent Airbus directive in November 2025, completing necessary software updates on 20 of its A320 aircraft without any impact on its operational schedule or causing delays.
The flynas fleet has an average age of 4.5 years across its 67 aircraft, with its A320 fleet averaging 4.3 years, indicative of a relatively young and modern fleet. The airline's consistent investment in modern aircraft like the A320neo, which represent over 90% of its current fleet, further underscores its commitment to operational efficiency and safety.
| Route | Destination | Flights | Distance | Aircraft | Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JED → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
205 | 530 mi | A20N | Dec 11, 2025 |
| RUH → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
160 | 530 mi | A20N | Dec 11, 2025 |
| DWC → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
142 | 531 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| AHB → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
135 | 532 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| TIF → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
88 | 459 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| JED → DMM |
King Fahd Int'l
Dammam
|
85 | 749 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| AMM → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
82 | 802 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| CAI → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
80 | 1003 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| CAI → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
79 | 757 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| DWC → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
78 | 1041 mi | A20N | Nov 27, 2025 |
| HAS → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
76 | 355 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| JED → CAI |
Cairo Int'l
Cairo
|
69 | 757 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| SPX → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
66 | 1032 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| MED → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
64 | 440 mi | A20N | Nov 15, 2025 |
| RUH → DXB |
Dubai Int'l
Dubai
|
64 | 543 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| AHB → DMM |
King Fahd Int'l
Dammam
|
64 | 730 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| TUU → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
63 | 489 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| RUH → AHB |
Abha Regional
Abha
|
62 | 532 mi | A20N | Dec 3, 2025 |
| SPX → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
62 | 777 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| DXB → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
59 | 543 mi | A20N | Dec 7, 2025 |
| AHB → JED |
King Abdulaziz Int'l
Jeddah
|
57 | 329 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| JED → AHB |
Abha Regional
Abha
|
55 | 329 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| MED → DMM |
King Fahd Int'l
Dammam
|
55 | 644 mi | A20N | Nov 13, 2025 |
| JED → DXB |
Dubai Int'l
Dubai
|
53 | 1057 mi | A20N | Dec 7, 2025 |
| TUU → RUH |
King Khalid Int'l
Riyadh
|
49 | 666 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
Airline statistics are based on flight route observations collected from FlightAware AeroAPI and other sources. Flight counts represent observed operations, not scheduled frequencies. Route data is continuously updated as new flight information becomes available.