Riyadh Air's inaugural flight to London. Photo: Riyadh Air's X page The ambitious Gulf airline's journey is underway.
Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new national airline, took off yesterday (Sunday, October 26) on its inaugural flight on the Riyadh-London route, a significant first step toward becoming a major player in the aviation industry and achieving its goal of reaching more than 100 destinations by 2030.
The company has begun operating a daily direct route to Heathrow as part of the initial operational phase, in preparation for the start of full commercial operations expected by the end of the year. At this stage, flights on the route are operated using a technically leased (temporary) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which is not part of the company's permanent fleet, as Riyadh Air has not yet received the new aircraft ordered from Boeing and Airbus.
Riyadh Air's inaugural flight to London. Photo: Riyadh Air's X page
The launch flights are a key stage in the company's operational readiness and are being carried out while using the slot allocated to the company at London Heathrow Airport, to maintain it and avoid losing the allocation. In the first phase, only Riyadh Air employees, employees of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and their families will be eligible to purchase tickets for the launch flights, which are considered experimental and used in preparation for full operation. Therefore, sales will not be open to the general public at this stage.
As a reminder, Riyadh Air's fleet is set to include 157 new aircraft , specially designed on demand, including 60 Airbus A321neo aircraft, another 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft (of which 39 are on firm order and 33 are optional), as well as 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft with the option to expand the agreement to 50 aircraft of this model.
Photo: RIYADH AIR
Monday was a busy day for the airline, which also announced the signing of its first lease agreement for a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with AviLease. The aircraft will be added to the company's permanent fleet by the end of the current quarter.
Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Air: “We are pleased to complete our first lease agreement with AviLease, as part of our preparations to establish a young and cost-effective fleet of aircraft in preparation for commercial launch. The Boeing 787 is a highly capable aircraft that will play a central role in creating a world-class flying experience for our future passengers. This agreement is an important step in establishing Riyadh Air as a leading global airline.”
It should be noted that Riyadh Air also recently announced the opening of its first luxury lounge at Riyadh International Airport, covering approximately 2,000 square meters and offering approximately 370 seats, and scheduled to open "soon" near the launch of commercial operations.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Shutterstock