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Riyadh Air
Planned flag carrier of Saudi Arabia; based in Riyadh From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Riyadh Air[a] is the second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, after Saudia, based in Riyadh.[3][4] The airline's main hub will be at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and will be 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 40 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
As of 2024, the airline is planning to operate its first commercial flights in 2025.[5] It has cooperation agreements with SkyTeam members Delta Air Lines,[6] China Eastern Airlines,[7] Saudia,[8] and Virgin Atlantic,[9] and Star Alliance members Turkish Airlines,[10] Singapore Airlines,[11] Air China,[12] and Egyptair.[13]
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.[14] Riyadh Air is expected to add US$20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.[citation needed]
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History
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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.[15][16] Two days later, it was announced that the airline had ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with options for 33 more aircraft.[17][18]
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.[19] 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.[20] On 12 June 2023, Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the airline's fleet.[21] 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.[22] 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.[citation needed]
On 9 July 2024, Riyadh Air signed a memorandum of understanding with Delta Air Lines, a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance.[23] 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.[24]
On 30 October 2024, Riyadh Air confirmed an order of 60 Airbus A321neo.[25]
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.[26]
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On 6 April 2025, Riyadh Air received approval from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to commence its flight operations.[27]
On 16 June 2025, Riyadh Air announced the order of 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. [28] The deal also includes purchase rights for an additional 25 Airbus A350 aircraft.
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Sponsorships
Riyadh Air has primarily sponsored association football teams. 2023 saw Riyadh Air become the shirt sponsor Atlético Madrid.[29] 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.[30][31]
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Destinations
Riyadh Air has not released its destination list, though it has unveiled codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Fleet
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See also
Notes
- Arabic: طيران الرياض
References
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