Riyadh Air unveils cabin and business-class setup for its long-haul jets

Riyadh Air, the Saudi Arabia-based startup airline hoping to become the latest high-end Middle East-based carrier, has unveiled the cabin and seats for its first long-haul aircraft.

Riyadh recently announced its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will be configured for 290 passengers in a three-cabin layout featuring business class, premium economy and coach.

However, the airline has also revealed plans for a small handful of extra-spacious business-class suites at the front of its planes, offering the sort of bridge between business class and first class that's increasingly been a favorite of major international airlines in recent years.

It's the latest step toward launching operations for Riyadh, which hopes to begin operating commercial flights later this year — and earlier this month won its operating license from Saudi regulators.

The airline has firm orders or options for 72 of Boeing's Dreamliners and has already forged partnerships with a handful of major international airlines, from Delta Air Lines to Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Riyadh's new business-class accommodations

For its flagship long-haul Dreamliners, Riyadh will offer 28 seats in its business-class cabins: 24 lie-flat suites with privacy doors and four "Business Elite" suites planned to be a notch above the baseline premium experience.

Business-class suites

For its standard business-class suites, Riyadh opted to go with French seatmaker Safran's "Unity" product — the same model selected by Australian carrier Qantas for its Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that'll someday transport business-class passengers on the future longest flights in the world.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I tried out the "off-the-shelf" version of that suite at an aircraft interiors-focused convention in Hamburg, Germany.

It was certainly a spacious product with all of the latest technology you'd expect in a state-of-the-art suite, and the sliding door offers an aura of privacy that's become a top feature in the best suites flying today.

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Riyadh's version of the suite will have its own aesthetic and custom touches.

The lie-flat bed will span 78 inches in length and 22 1/2 inches in width. The carrier plans to arrange them in a 1-2-1 configuration across its Dreamliners. The middle two suites will offer retractable privacy dividers, so passengers traveling together can see one another.

Read more: The best luxury suites in the sky and how to fly them

Business Elite

Regarding the four Business Elite suites at the front of the aircraft: The two in the center can be transformed into one larger suite with a de facto double bed for two passengers traveling together. All four Business Elite suites will sport 32-inch monitors (the other business-class suites have 22-inch screens); all inflight entertainment systems throughout the plane will be the latest-generation 4K OLED technology, with headphone-less audio offered in the seat headrests in the premium cabin.

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Premium economy and coach

Riyadh's Dreamliners will have 39 premium economy seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, with 15.6-inch seatback screens, four USB-C charging ports at each seat, winged headrests and calf rests to offer a true recliner experience.

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The 223 seats in the main cabin will be arranged in the 3-3-3 configuration typical on a 787.

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Inflight tech

Riyadh's jets will be equipped with free inflight high-speed Wi-Fi from Viasat, the same provider behind free Wi-Fi on JetBlue's and Delta Air Lines' mainline aircraft — not to mention the inflight internet service that's soon to be free on board American Airlines.

Hoping to compete with premium carriers

"Riyadh Air has always promised to deliver a world-class experience for our guests and the unveiling of our cabin interiors make this ambition a reality," CEO Tony Douglas (formerly the chief executive at Etihad Airways) said in a statement.

Complementing its new seats and inflight technology, the carrier has plans for custom mood lighting and a color palette featuring dark indigo, mocha, gold, lavender and "veined stone" in various parts of the cabin.

Riyadh has made clear it hopes to ultimately become the latest premium airline in the Persian Gulf region, helped by rich cash reserves through Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

In doing so, it will join a competitive landscape currently led by the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, each known for the high-end premium accommodations that have long been favorites among travelers redeeming points and miles — from Qatar's Qsuite to the Etihad Apartments and Emirates' first-class suites, which allow travelers to take a shower at 35,000 feet.

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