What do we know about Riyadh Air?New airlines pop up quite regularly; why is this one different?
Riyadh Air is backed by a country, and a leader, with deep pockets and a big vision. Think back to when Emirates accelerated and become one of the top airlines, driven by the demands of the UAE. That's what Riyadh Air could, and most likely will, become. That means a new well-connected airline, with a strong premium offering and flying to - they say - 100 destinations.
What do we know about Riyadh Air?
They plan on being the second national airline for Saudi Arabia. They'll be based out of Riyadh (hence the name) and plan on flying to 100 destinations from King Khalid International Airport. That airport is going through an expansion so big that it's going to be completely renamed to King Salman International Airport.
- The airline was first announced by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in March 2023.
- It was then announced they had ordered 39 787-9's, with options for another 33.
- The first planes are expected to be delivered in early 2025
- There's a trend of Middle Eastern airlines sponsoring football teams, and Riyadh Air has gotten in early. In August 2023, they became the main airline partner of Atletico Madrid. They've also become a partner of CONCACAF.
- Saudi Arabia aims to have 230 million passengers connecting through its airports by 2030.
If that last point sounds familiar, that's because. Emirates, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, Etihad, have all followed that model of connecting passengers through their hubs. Some have found success in getting connecting passengers to stay in that city. Emirates is a great example of how this has worked well. Qatar is seeing positive movements in the number of people who stay in Doha.
To give you an idea of scale, Emirates has 249 planes, Qatar has 258, a mixture of narrow and widebodies.
Riyadh Air has a website. It's not the sharpest airline website you'll find, but it's just the first attempt.
Who is running Riyadh Air?
That's Tony Douglas. That name may sound familiar - he was the British CEO of Etihad from 2018 to 2022. He's clearly a capable operator with experience not just in airlines but also in the Middle East. Etihad has had a bumpy ride over the last decade, but Douglas did trim their losses and right-size the airline.
Where will Riyadh Air fly to?
They have promised 100 destinations by 2030, with no announcements about where. However, if you look at the agreements they have signed with other airlines, you can get a feel for the cities they want to fly from and to.
Their agreement with Virgin Atlantic was signed just a few days ago, which suggests that they would want to tie into VA's North American route network from London and connect VA outwards from Riyadh to the Far East and Africa. VA currently fly to three cities in India, so the overlap will be minimal. They also fly to 11 destinations in the US, plus Barbados, Toronto (restarting in 2025), Grenada and Jamaica. VA are also planning to fly to Riyadh from the 30th March 2025.
Speaking of North America, VA's sister airline, Delta, has signed an agreement with Riyadh Air. That means a ton of connections across the US and into South America and Canada.
Riyadh Air launching without a London flight would be very surprising. It's a huge market, with LHR to Riyadh only covered by BA (one or two flights a day) and Saudia (three flights per day). I'd also expect connections to key European hubs, such as Paris, Munich and Madrid. They have said that they will launch with two European cities, I would guess as London being an absolute.
In the Middle East Riyadh Air has signed agreements with EgyptAir and fellow Saudi Arabian airline Saudia.
Looking at the Far East, agreements have been signed with Air China, China Eastern Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
European agreements include Virginand Turkish Airlines.
Their plan is to launch two new destinations every month after launch, and within five years fly to almost all European capitals and major cities in the far east.
What does all of this mean for points collectors?
It's yet to be seen how deep the agreement is with Virgin - there may well be opportunities to use your Virgin points, or at the least connect in to Riyadh with the upcoming Saudi Arabia flight that Virgin plans to launch in early 2025.
For Avios collectors, it doesn't look great. The agreements signed to date have not included any oneworld airlines; however, that doesn't preclude you from using Riyadh Air as a jump from Riyadh to a Far East destination. Ba flies at least once, sometimes twice, a day to Riyadh. That would mean a half cash, half Avios flight.
Which airline alliance will Riyadh Air join?
There has been no indication of which alliance Riyadh air would join. They might not join any, in fact they have stated earlier this year that they currently do not plan to join the party. Etihad and Emirates exist outside of alliances but do have codeshares with specific airlines.
The agreements with individual airlines that have been signed to date give a hint as to which alliance they would join if they were so inclined. Delta, China Easter, Saudia are SkyTeam.
What will the experience be like on board Riyadh Air?
So far we know very little. In June 2024 they launched the crew uniform, which is a striking dark purple. We know they'll be flying in 787s, but what we don't know is the configuration, or who will be providing the seats. Given the fairly tight timescales for the airline to launch I'd expect them to lean heavily on seat manufacturers, and use a customised seat rather than something built from the ground up.
We know that they will have premium economy seats. CEO Tony Douglas has said it will be closer to business than economy.
They have also said that business will be the highest class available in their planes. That means no direct competition with Etihad and Emirates market-leading first-class seats. Expect a business class seat that's close to first class, similar to Qatar.
There have been hints as to what we can expect in business class: Oversized HD screens, suites with doors and wireless charging.
When will the first Riyadh Air flights launch?
"2025", says the latest press release from the 4th of September 2024. Reviewing all of their press releases shows that they are really accelerating. Lots of agreements that cover aircraft, ground support, and other periphery support services.
Their first 32 cabin crew members have just graduated, and they've just purchased an environmentally friendly bus to ferry them around Riyadh and to the airport.
The biggest blocker for launch will be the availability of aircraft. They've chosen Boeing, who have their own challenges around delivery, but they stayed away from the 777X which is much delayed. Back in January of 2024 Boeing ramped up production on the 787, and they're now pumping out five plans a month with the aim of increasing this to 10 per month in "2025/2026".
What their CEO has said is the first flights will be focused on crew training, similar to what BA did when they launched the A350. These training flights will be to Europe, confirming that it's a launch market.
