Riyadh Air to launch first direct flight routes to two European cities
Europe, Asia and the east coast of the USA will be early fixtures in Riyadh Air’s network when it launches in late 2025
Saudi Arabia’s new flag carrier, Riyadh Air, is preparing for takeoff. Scheduled to commence later this year, the airline is considering two European cities for its inaugural flights, which will operate on the airline’s new Boeing 787s.
It will begin with small-scale operations due to a shortage of aircraft, but with one plane arriving each month from the start of 2026, the new airline aims to connect over 100 destinations by 2030.
With that steady flow of jets, Riyadh Air plans to add an average of two destinations each month, with Singapore tipped as an early starter as Riyadh Air expands into Asia.
According to Riyadh Air’s CEO Tony Douglas, as reported by Aerospace Global News, the airline will be touching down at “pretty much every capital city within Europe, all the big capital cities within the Far East, most of the big capital cities within Central Asia, within the Gulf region and the Indian subcontinent, for very obvious reasons, as well as the eastern seaboard of North America” within the first five years.
The airline also intends to fly to Australia and New Zealand, although only once its fleet is sufficiently large.
As it awaits the delivery of new aircraft, Riyadh Air plans to serve selected long-haul markets through its partnerships with other carriers.
In the early stages of developing its network, it is “more likely to establish a ‘thick route’ into Singapore Changi, providing passengers with a superb guest experience on Riyadh Air – and on an RX codeshare ticket, the final leg [to Australia or New Zealand] offers an equally excellent product and experience with Singapore Airlines.”
The company has already concluded strategic cooperation MoUs with several carriers, including Singapore Airlines, EgyptAir, and Air France-KLM.
In April, Riyadh Air unveiled details of its Boeing 787 cabins, which will showcase modern interiors with high-quality finishes.
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Riyadh Air has also placed orders for 60 Airbus A321neo narrowbody aircraft, as many as 72 Boeing 787s, and up to 50 Airbus A350 jets to expand its long-haul fleet.
Owned by the Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air was launched in March 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to become a global aviation centre by expanding connectivity to over 250 destinations and tripling annual passenger traffic to 330 million.
So, which two European cities do you think Riyadh Air will fly to for its maiden flights?
Images: Riyadh Air
