The Cairo-based startup Nile Air placed firm orders for nine Airbus 321s, the European plane-maker announced during the Dubai Airshow. The aircraft will cost US$792 million at list prices.
The airline, owned by Saudi travel service group Al Tayyar, will start operations in the first quarter of 2008 and will initially fly between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with future expansion to other Middle East destinations. The carrier will start operations with leased A321s, ahead of receiving the first of nine similar aircraft ordered directly from the manufacturer in 2012.