Interview with Con Korfiatis CEO of flyadeal – Creating a digital-first airline
At Aviation Festival Asia, Con Korfiatis CEO of flyadeal talked through the dynamics of being a digital-first airline. flyadeal is a Saudi Arabian low-cost airline based at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
The airline was launched entirely digitally in 2017. Discussing the conditions that supported this strategy, Con describes the high rates of tech adoption in Saudi Arabia as being intertwined with the county’s young demographic. The airline CEO explains that in Saudi Arabia, approximately 70 per cent of the population are under the age of 35 and on a per capita basis across most of the major social media platform it rates in the top three markets in the world. Catalysed by these nurturing conditions, the airline’s digital strategy produced a comprehensive domestic network with 60 per cent of domestic booking done on a mobile platform.
The interview covers agility, challenges as a digital-first airline, digital transformation, and more.
Questions asked:
- How has the overall rate of tech adoption evolved in Saudi Arabia in recent years?
- How are you using technology to address the shift in passenger expectations post-pandemic?
- Could you highlight some of the challenges that come with being a digital-first airline and how do you overcome these?
- What are some of the most significant factors influencing your digital transformation?
Article by Jess Brownlow
