Saudi startup Riyadh Air confident in 2025 launch, mum on plans for US flights

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas is confident that the startup — which is positioning itself as Saudi Arabia's elite answer to the big Gulf carriers — will take to the skies next year.

The airline is on track to secure its operating certificate from Saudi Arabian authorities before the end of the year. The certification will pave the way for ticket sales to begin in early 2025 and revenue flights to take off later that year, Douglas said at the Routes World 2024 conference in Bahrain on Sunday.

"We'll deploy [a] 787-9, for example, [to] one of the capital cities within Western Europe into Riyadh, it will then turn around in Riyadh and do a regional route, the likes of a Delhi, a Mumbai, a Jeddah, [or] a Dubai," he said of the airline's initial routes.

When asked what cities Riyadh Air is considering for its launch destinations, Douglas said there would be no "surprises."

Founded in 2023, Riyadh Air is framing itself — at least, in terms of product and onboard experience — as Saudi Arabia's premium airline that will compete with the likes of Emirates and Qatar Airways. The carrier's first Boeing 787 sported a striking purple livery that would stand out among the Eurowhite-painted crowd of planes at most international airports.

While Riyadh Air has not yet revealed its hard product, the airline is lavishly spending money on everything from its crew uniforms to its "sonic brand," as Douglas described it, which was recently recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The Saudi startup plans to unveil its digital presence at an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the end of October, Douglas said.

Riyadh Air has big plans. It aims to serve 100 destinations globally within its first five years or by the decade's end. That includes the U.S., where it has signed Delta Air Lines as a partner to extend its future network beyond major gateways. The airline also counts Air China, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines among its partners.

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Douglas was mum on what cities Riyadh Air plans to serve in the U.S. Considering its ambition to serve major global cities and its plans to connect with partners, New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — the largest international air gateway to the U.S. and a Delta hub — is a likely entry point for the airline.

He also didn't share any details on when U.S. flights could begin. Attendees at Routes World doubted that Riyadh Air could serve the country before 2026 and maybe not until 2027 given how Boeing's ongoing delivery delays could affect the airline's timeline for receiving aircraft capable of flying those routes nonstop.

The Riyadh-New York route is 6,526 miles and takes about 13 1/2 hours, according to data from Cirium Diio (a flight schedule and route planning program developed by aviation analytics firm Cirium). This means that in order to offer a daily flight, Riyadh Air would need to dedicate at least two aircraft to the Riyadh-New York route alone.

Boeing data shows that Riyadh Air has a firm order for 39 787-9 Dreamliners plus options to buy another 33.

The airline plans to unveil a similarly sized narrow-body order in "relatively short order," Douglas said. He did not indicate whether the deal would likely go to Airbus for its A320neo family of planes or Boeing and its 737 MAX family.

As for Riyadh Air's positioning vis-a-vis its Gulf competitors, Douglas has a clear vision. On the product front, it aims to match or exceed Emirates and Qatar Airways. But in terms of network strategy, he was clear: Riyadh Air is focused on connectivity to Saudi Arabia rather than trying to compete as a global "super-connector" airline flowing people between, for example, Europe and Australia or North America and India.

Riyadh "is simply not well enough connected at this point in time," Douglas said. "It's not as if we're trying to create a market; the market already exists, and it demands to be served much better."

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