Riyadh Air

Riyadh Air is the second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia after Saudia, based in Riyadh.[3][4] The airline's main hub is at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and is aimed at the world market, operating domestic and internationally scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in six continents. The fleet will consist of 3 aircraft types, 2 Airbus aircraft types and 1 Boeing aircraft type consisting of 60 Airbus A321neo, 25 Airbus A350-1000 and 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft respectively.

The airline operated its first commercial flight on 26 October 2025.[5][6] It has cooperation agreements with SkyTeam members Delta Air Lines,[7] China Eastern Airlines,[8] Saudia,[9] Air France-KLM[10] and Virgin Atlantic, and Star Alliance members Turkish Airlines,[11] Singapore Airlines,[12] Air China[13] and Egyptair.[14]

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Riyadh Air will be owned by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, as its chairman. Tony Douglas was appointed as its CEO. He was the CEO of UAE airline Etihad Airways from January 2018 until October 2022.[15] Riyadh Air is expected to add US$20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.

History

On 12 March 2023, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, formally announced the establishment of Riyadh Air, the country's newest national airline in Saudi Arabia.[16][17] Two days later, it was announced that the airline had ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft with options for 33 more aircraft.[18][19]

Riyadh Air unveiled its first livery on 4 June 2023. The livery was painted on a Boeing 787-9, although this aircraft was owned by Boeing and will not enter the Riyadh Air fleet.[20] On the same day, it received its airline designator code "RX" from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the World Air Transport Summit, which took place in Istanbul.[21] On 12 June 2023, Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the airline's fleet.[22] On 14 June 2023, the airline was granted its Passenger Air Transport Economic License by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), which is required for the airline to begin commercial operations.[23] On 21 June 2023, at the Paris Air Show, Riyadh Air signed an agreement for 90 GE Aerospace's GEnx-1B engines to power its future fleet of 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.[24]

On 9 July 2024, Riyadh Air signed a memorandum of understanding with Delta Air Lines, a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance.[25] Under the terms of the memorandum, the two airlines would establish a basis for future flight codesharing and alignment of the customer service and frequent-flier program experiences.[26]

On 30 October 2024, Riyadh Air confirmed an order of 60 Airbus A321neo.[27]

On 15 January 2025, Riyadh Air received its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft, however it is leased, and it will be used only as a technical spare and training aircraft.[28]

On 6 April 2025, Riyadh Air received approval from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to commence its flight operations.[29]

On 16 June 2025, Riyadh Air announced the order of 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. The deal also includes purchase rights for an additional 25 of the type.[30]

On 9 October 2024, Riyadh Air announced a partnership with FLYR. FLYR will deliver its Offer and Order retailing platform to power Riyadh Air's commercial operations, making it the world's first native ONE Order network carrier.[31]

On 7 August 2025, Riyadh Air announced a partnership with Amadeus. Amadeus will distribute Riyadh Air’s future NDC (New Distribution Capability) content, allowing for personalized offers and dynamic pricing across third-party platforms.[6]

On 21 January 2026, Riyadh Air announced the establishment of Riyadh Cargo.[32]

Sponsorships

Riyadh Air has primarily sponsored association football teams. 2023 saw Riyadh Air become the shirt sponsor of Atlético Madrid.[33] The following year, Riyadh Air sponsored CONCACAF, the association football confederation of North America, becoming the official airline of the conference. Later that year, Riyadh Air purchased the naming rights to Metropolitano Stadium, the home field for Atlético Madrid.[34][35]

Destinations

Riyadh Air aims to operate to 100 destinations by 2030. However, as of 8 October 2025, the airline has announced their first two routes will be to London Heathrow and Dubai International. The airline will not have these services bookable to the general public but will be open to select customers.[36] The airline will operate a Boeing 787-9 leased from Oman Air with the name 'Jamila' for these services.

Riyadh Air has also unveiled codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Air China[41]
• Air France–KLM[42]
• China Eastern Airlines[8]
• Delta Air Lines[43]
• EgyptAir[44]
• Saudia[9]
• Singapore Airlines[12]
• Turkish Airlines[45]
• Virgin Atlantic[46]

Fleet

As of November 2025, Riyadh Air operates the following aircraft:[47][48]

See also

• List of airlines of Saudi Arabia
• List of airports in Saudi Arabia
• List of Saudi Vision 2030 projects