After two years of waiting, the new Saudi national airline Riyadh Air finally takes flight. The company's first commercial routes were launched to London Heathrow, inaugurated on 10 June 2026, followed by Jeddah on 14 June.
On 18 June, it was Dubai's turn to benefit from a daily flight from the Saudi airline to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Finally, since 25 June, Riyadh Air has been offering two daily connections to Cairo. All flights are operated with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the long-haul aircraft that currently forms the core of the carrier's fleet.
Two new destinations are already scheduled by the end of July. The next destination will be Madrid, with an opening planned for 17 July, and Manchester will follow from 23 July. These two destinations will benefit from three weekly frequencies. Apparently, Kuala Lumpur should be added to Riyadh Air's network in the coming weeks, with the Malaysian capital already appearing on the carrier's online site. The Riyadh-Bangkok route has already been announced for the winter season.
These six destinations mark the first phase of the airline's commercial development, established as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy to make Riyadh a global air hub. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas indicated that the fleet is expected to comprise eight Boeing 787s by the end of July and will serve 22 destinations by March 2027, before reaching over 100 destinations by 2030. According to the online publication Aeroroutes, Riyadh Air is planning to serve Paris CDG, Amman, Islamabad, Lahore, Mumbai, Jakarta, and Manila by early 2027.
