Saudi Arabia Launches Delayed Second State Carrier Riyadh Air With Inaugural Flight to London
The new airline, owned by the Public Investment Fund, began operations after more than a year of delays. It forms part of efforts to expand Riyadh into a global aviation hub.
headforpoints.comM. local time Wednesday, marking the operational launch of Saudi Arabia's second state-owned carrier. The flight followed more than a year of delays from the originally planned 2025 start.
Delivery setbacks from Boeing pushed the timeline back, Al-Monitor reported. Riyadh Air is owned by the Public Investment Fund, valued at $900 billion. It operates alongside the existing Jeddah-based Saudia airline and is positioned to support Saudi Arabia's goal of reducing reliance on oil revenue.
He added that Riyadh's geography had limited the impact of recent regional attacks on its operations. Douglas also stated the airline's target of serving more than 100 international cities within five years. "We want to bring glamour, we want to bring refinement, we want to bring grace back," he told AFP.
PIF chief and Riyadh Air chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan called the launch "a historic moment for the nation" and said the company would generate 200,000 direct and indirect jobs. Riyadh Air has ordered 132 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and signed for 25 Airbus A350-1000s last June, with an option for 50 additional aircraft.
The carrier plans to operate from a new Riyadh airport designed for 120 million passengers annually by 2030, compared with the current King Khalid International Airport capacity of 53 million.
Saudi Arabia aims to triple annual air traffic to 330 million passengers by 2030. The country has a domestic market of approximately 35 million people, larger than any other Gulf state.
