According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Riyadh Air will be owned by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, as its chairman. Tony Douglas was appointed as its CEO. He was the CEO of UAE airline Etihad Airways from January 2018 until October 2022.[16] Riyadh Air is expected to add US$20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
History
On 12 March 2023, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, formally announced the establishment of Riyadh Air, the country's newest national airline.[17][18] Two days later, it was announced that the airline had ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with options for 33 more aircraft.[19][20]
A Boeing 787-9 painted in the Riyadh Air livery at the Dubai Airshow 2023
Riyadh Air unveiled its first livery on 4 June 2023. The livery was painted on a Boeing 787-9, although this aircraft was owned by Boeing and will not enter the Riyadh Air fleet.[21] On the same day, it received its airline designator code "RX" from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the World Air Transport Summit, which took place in Istanbul.[22] On 12 June 2023, Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the airline's fleet.[23] On 14 June 2023, the airline was granted its Passenger Air Transport Economic License by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), which is required for the airline to begin commercial operations.[24] On 21 June 2023, at the Paris Air Show, Riyadh Air signed an agreement for 90 GE Aerospace'sGEnx-1B engines to power its future fleet of 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.[citation needed]
On 9 July 2024, Riyadh Air signed a memorandum of understanding with Delta Air Lines, a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance.[25] Under the terms of the memorandum, the two airlines would establish a basis for future flight codesharing and alignment of the customer service and frequent-flier program experiences.[26]
On 30 October 2024, Riyadh Air confirmed an order of 60 Airbus A321neo.[27]
On 15 January 2025, Riyadh Air received its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft, however it is leased, and it will be used only as a technical spare and training aircraft.[28]
A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in the airline’s second white livery at the Paris Air Show 2025
On 16 June 2025, Riyadh Air announced the order of 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. [30] The deal also includes purchase rights for an additional 25 Airbus A350 aircraft.
One 7 August 2025, Riyadh Air announced a partnership with Amadeus. Amadeus will distribute Riyadh Air’s future NDC (New Distribution Capability) content, allowing for personalized offers and dynamic pricing across third-party platforms.[6]
Sponsorships
Riyadh Air has primarily sponsored association football teams. 2023 saw Riyadh Air become the shirt sponsor Atlético Madrid.[31] The following year, Riyadh Air sponsored CONCACAF, the association football confederation of North America, becoming the official airline of the conference. Later that year, Riyadh Air purchased the naming rights to Metropolitano Stadium, the home field for Atlético Madrid.[32][33]
Destinations
Riyadh Air has not released its destination list, though it has unveiled codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
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