State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines said on Friday it will buy 15 new aircraft to fly domestic and regional routes and boost its 139 strong fleet.

A company official said all 15 planes will be the same 66 seat model but declined to give further details.

Analysts say the deal could be worth up to USD$450 million at list prices and would likely go to Brazil's Embraer, Canada's Bombardier or ATR, a unit of Airbus parent EADS.

The official said the purchase is the first since Saudi Arabian Airlines bought 61 Boeing and McDonnell Douglas planes -- including 747-400s, 777-200s, MD-11s and MD-90s -- which were delivered between 1997 and 2001.

Director general Khaled Ben-Bakr said in a statement Saudi Arabian Airlines "is the first airline to purchase this type of aircraft in the Middle East". The purchase is fully self-financed by the airline, he added.

Industry sources said the cost of each plane was likely to be between USD$20 million and USD$30 million, excluding maintenance and other costs.

The purchase was approved by the airline board of directors headed by Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz.

Saudi Arabia has for years said it plans to open up its aviation sector to competition and privatize Saudi Arabian Airlines, which remains the sole domestic carrier for now.