Bangladesh, Oct. 8 -- Saudia Group is moving closer to placing a "substantial" aircraft order, a senior executive said in a media interview recently.

Sanjiv Kapoor, Executive Vice President of Strategy at Saudia Group and acting CEO of Flyadeal, said the group is waiting for final board approval before launching its Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

The order is expected to serve both Saudia and its low-cost subsidiary, Flyadeal, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2031.

Kapoor said the group has finished assessing how many aircraft it needs for growth and for replacing its older fleet over the long term. He said the order could be placed all at once or in stages but did not disclose any numbers.

Earlier this year, media report...