Company Insights Riyadh Air Aviation Riyadh Air Overview The establishment of Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s second flag carrier, was formally announced by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in March 2023. The airline is planning to operate its first commercial flights in 2025. Riyadh Air’s main hub will be at King Khalid International Airport (to be renamed King Salman International Airport following expansion due to be completed by 2030) in Riyadh. The airline plans to operate domestic and international scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in the Middle East and six continents. In March 2023 Riyadh Air ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with options for 33 more.n October 2024 Riyadh Air confirmed an order of 60 Airbus A321neo. Riyadh Air unveiled its first livery in June 2023, with its first indigo painted Boeing 787-9 aircraft. It has received the airline designator code “RX” from the International Air Transport Association. In July 2024, Riyadh Air signed a memorandum of understanding with Delta Air Lines. Under the terms of the memorandum, the two airlines would establish a basis for future flight codesharing and alignment of customer service and frequent-flyer programmes. Riyadh Air has also signed MoUs with Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Egyptair, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Riyadh Air News Exclusive Aviation China ‘unlikely to overthrow Boeing-Airbus duopoly’ China’s state-owned planemaker, Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China), is decades away from breaking up the global dominance of Boeing and Airbus, according to the head of the world’s largest airline trade association. The result will be that Gulf Arab carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have little choice but to stomach […] April 18, 2025 Aviation Saudi Arabia invites bids for charter airline Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator is inviting bids to set up a national charter airline. The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened the bid process on April 13 and has set a submission deadline of May 21, it said in a statement. All the bids will be opened on May 22. In February the regulator announced […] April 14, 2025 Aviation Saudi Arabia clears Riyadh Air for takeoff Saudi Arabia’s aviation watchdog has granted official permission to Riyadh Air to commence flights to and from airports across the kingdom. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) chairman Saleh Al-Jasser handed the air operator certificate to Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, state-run SPA news agency reported. The certificate follows the Public Investment Fund-backed airline’s completion […] April 7, 2025 Aviation Kuwait Airways rules out profit for at least two years State-owned Kuwait Airways does not expect to turn a profit for at least another two years as it struggles to recover from losses built up during the Covid 19 pandemic, its chairman said. Abdulmohsen Alfagaan told Kuwait’s daily Alseyassah that the airline is looking into what airplanes it needs and its network of destinations, anticipating […] March 18, 2025 Aviation Riyadh Air seeks tie-up with Indian carriers Saudi Arabia’s newest airline Riyadh Air is exploring potential tie-ups with Indian carriers IndiGo and Air India, CEO Tony Douglas has said. The conversations are at an early stage but offer a “win-win” proposition, he told The Indian Express news daily. India is a “super important” market, Douglas said, as Saudi Arabia expects India to […] March 17, 2025 Analysis Aviation Saudia ‘still a flag carrier’ ahead of Riyadh Air launch Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia is upgrading its fleet with new Boeing and Airbus aircraft even as the government prepares to start a new airline later this year. The 80-year-old carrier has 118 aircraft on order, most of which will replace older models in its existing fleet of 147, and are scheduled to arrive through […] March 14, 2025 Aviation AirAsia raises $226m but stays quiet on PIF The parent company of Malaysian budget airline AirAsia has raised 1 billion ringgit ($226 million) to complete its reorganisation plan, according to a news report. “We have a 1 billion (ringgit) placement,” Capital A group CEO Tony Fernandes said at a press conference. “Don’t ask me questions on PIF’s placement order book – we are not […] March 10, 2025 Analysis Aviation Etihad IPO likely to attract ‘significant’ investor interest Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad Airways is likely to attract “significant” investor interest if and when it sells shares in an initial public offering expected in March in the first Gulf Arab airline IPO in almost 20 years, analysts have said. Owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, the airline may raise as much as $1 […] February 28, 2025 Opinion Aviation Egypt’s aviation sector must strive to reach its potential Improved connectivity and new infrastructure will help the country regain market share February 28, 2025 Aviation Riyadh Air start may be further delayed The start of Saudi Arabia’s new government-owned airline Riyadh Air could be delayed yet again. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told a Saudi investment conference in Miami that the airline would start operations “by the end of the year”. But he was not more specific. Last month, the carrier pushed back its launch date by […] February 21, 2025 Posts navigation 1 2 … 11 Next
Exclusive Aviation China ‘unlikely to overthrow Boeing-Airbus duopoly’ China’s state-owned planemaker, Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China), is decades away from breaking up the global dominance of Boeing and Airbus, according to the head of the world’s largest airline trade association. The result will be that Gulf Arab carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have little choice but to stomach […] April 18, 2025
Aviation Saudi Arabia invites bids for charter airline Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator is inviting bids to set up a national charter airline. The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened the bid process on April 13 and has set a submission deadline of May 21, it said in a statement. All the bids will be opened on May 22. In February the regulator announced […] April 14, 2025
Aviation Saudi Arabia clears Riyadh Air for takeoff Saudi Arabia’s aviation watchdog has granted official permission to Riyadh Air to commence flights to and from airports across the kingdom. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) chairman Saleh Al-Jasser handed the air operator certificate to Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, state-run SPA news agency reported. The certificate follows the Public Investment Fund-backed airline’s completion […] April 7, 2025
Aviation Kuwait Airways rules out profit for at least two years State-owned Kuwait Airways does not expect to turn a profit for at least another two years as it struggles to recover from losses built up during the Covid 19 pandemic, its chairman said. Abdulmohsen Alfagaan told Kuwait’s daily Alseyassah that the airline is looking into what airplanes it needs and its network of destinations, anticipating […] March 18, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air seeks tie-up with Indian carriers Saudi Arabia’s newest airline Riyadh Air is exploring potential tie-ups with Indian carriers IndiGo and Air India, CEO Tony Douglas has said. The conversations are at an early stage but offer a “win-win” proposition, he told The Indian Express news daily. India is a “super important” market, Douglas said, as Saudi Arabia expects India to […] March 17, 2025
Analysis Aviation Saudia ‘still a flag carrier’ ahead of Riyadh Air launch Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia is upgrading its fleet with new Boeing and Airbus aircraft even as the government prepares to start a new airline later this year. The 80-year-old carrier has 118 aircraft on order, most of which will replace older models in its existing fleet of 147, and are scheduled to arrive through […] March 14, 2025
Aviation AirAsia raises $226m but stays quiet on PIF The parent company of Malaysian budget airline AirAsia has raised 1 billion ringgit ($226 million) to complete its reorganisation plan, according to a news report. “We have a 1 billion (ringgit) placement,” Capital A group CEO Tony Fernandes said at a press conference. “Don’t ask me questions on PIF’s placement order book – we are not […] March 10, 2025
Analysis Aviation Etihad IPO likely to attract ‘significant’ investor interest Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad Airways is likely to attract “significant” investor interest if and when it sells shares in an initial public offering expected in March in the first Gulf Arab airline IPO in almost 20 years, analysts have said. Owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, the airline may raise as much as $1 […] February 28, 2025
Opinion Aviation Egypt’s aviation sector must strive to reach its potential Improved connectivity and new infrastructure will help the country regain market share February 28, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air start may be further delayed The start of Saudi Arabia’s new government-owned airline Riyadh Air could be delayed yet again. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told a Saudi investment conference in Miami that the airline would start operations “by the end of the year”. But he was not more specific. Last month, the carrier pushed back its launch date by […] February 21, 2025
