Jeddah, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA – flyadeal has announced the appointment of European airline executive Rogier van Enk as Chief Commercial and Customer Officer.

Dutch national Van Enk, who joins Saudi Arabia’s youngest low-cost carrier (LCC) at a time of unprecedented growth, brings with him a wealth of industry experience working in Europe – with British Airways and latterly, Finnair, the national carrier of Finland.

Just seven years old, flyadeal has been catapulted into the region’s fastest growing LCC currently operating a modern fleet of 37 aircraft to 30 seasonal and year-round destinations in Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa and South Asia.

Van Enk said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to join flyadeal that has ambitious, yet realistic growth targets fully aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 of building a dynamic aviation and tourism industry. With one new route being launched, on average, every two weeks this year and a domestic and international network that will triple to over 100 destinations by 2030, what an opportune time to be part of an exciting young airline that’s maturing very fast.

“I’ve already seen flyadeal’s energy and enthusiasm with a team which is commercially and operationally focused on reaching its goal driven with passion. As Saudi Arabia takes centre stage in Middle East aviation, I very much look forward to working alongside new colleagues and contributing to the continued growth of flyadeal bringing rewarding experience gained at both Finnair and British Airways to my new role.”

During his two spells in a 12-year career at Finnair based in Helsinki, Van Enk held a number of commercial roles covering revenue management, distribution, online sales, business analytics and ancillary product development. He joins flyadeal after four years as Finnair’s Senior Vice President Customer Engagement responsible for, among others, brand, marketing, and loyalty business. He was also formerly Head of Distribution and Payments at British Airways in London.

He added: “On a personal level, I’m excited about the move to Saudi Arabia with my young family, looking forward to enjoying the country’s rich cultural heritage, the nation’s diversity and, as a foodie, the wonderful cuisine. More importantly, meet, engage and interact with amazing people in the Kingdom.”

Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “On behalf of the team here at flyadeal, a great pleasure to welcome Rogier onboard. His experience working across many commercial and customer functions within full-service airlines in Europe made him the ideal appointment to take flyadeal’s commercial helm and bring his expertise into a low-cost environment.

“Rogier’s deep insights and knowledge gained in the digital space at Finnair and British Airways will contribute towards flyadeal’s continued mandate to remain digitally driven keeping both costs low and fares extremely competitive. My thanks to Trevor Spinks in his advisory role steering the commercial ship at flyadeal over the past 12 months during which flyadeal secured significant achievements including profitability for the first time in its seven-year history. Having made great progress, we look to keep up the momentum with Rogier taking over at a time of unprecedented expansion.”

Van Enk joins as flyadeal prepares for its busy summer seasonal flying programme with the launch of flights to the coastal city of Trabzon in Turkey; Baku and Tbilisi, capitals of Azerbaijan and Georgia respectively; the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh; Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzogovina; and, for the first time, Salalah in southern Oman.

Over the next few months, aside from scheduled operations which represent the backbone of flyadeal’s business, the airline will expand its year-round Umrah services to destinations beyond the Middle East and central Asia. flyadeal is also planning for the upcoming Hajj season by flying 75,000 pilgrims – more than double last year – into the Kingdom from Europe, Middle East, South Asia and Asia.

About flyadeal

On 23 September 2017, National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, flyadeal began operations with its historic maiden flight from Jeddah to Riyadh. A pioneer and innovator, flyadeal was the first regional low-cost airline to be launched only across digital distribution channels. Being the sister airline of full-service national carrier Saudia — both under the umbrella ownership of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation (Saudia Group) — flyadeal was created for the price-conscious and tech-savvy consumer in mind in a market where 80 per cent of the Saudi population is aged less than 40 years and has at least two mobile phones.

flyadeal aims to stimulate travel, tourism and trade with its affordable, value for money everyday fares catering to leisure, religious, family and business travellers. Simplicity is key with an all-Economy Class cabin across flyadeal’s narrowbody fleet. With the Kingdom undergoing dramatic transformation through its Vision 2030 economic diversification drive, aviation and tourism are among the many sectors earmarked for dynamic growth. Today, flyadeal is one of the youngest and fastest growing low-cost airlines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East, recognised for excellence in on-time performance that is consistently above the global industry average.

flyadeal operates a young fleet of Airbus A320 narrowbody aircraft flying from bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to destinations across Saudi Arabia with a growing international footprint in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The airline has flown over 33 million passengers since its inaugural flight. In May 2024, flyadeal placed its biggest ever order for 51 aircraft – 12 A320neos and 39 larger A321neos – with a delivery schedule beginning in 2026. By 2030, flyadeal plans to operate hundreds of routes that will see its fleet and network triple in number to over 100 aircraft and destinations, respectively. flyadeal’s aggressive expansion drive makes the rapidly growing airline one of the country’s most desirable companies to work for.