Riyadh Air facts for kids
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| Founded | 12 March 2023 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 2025 (planned) |
| Hubs | King Khalid International Airport |
| Destinations | 0 |
| Parent company | Public Investment Fund |
| Headquarters | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Key people | |
Riyadh Air (Arabic: طيران الرياض) is a planned second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh. The airline's main hub will be at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and will operate domestic and international scheduled flights to over 100 different destinations in the Middle East and six continents. The fleet will consist of Boeing 787 aircraft.
As of 2024, the airline is planning to operate its first commercial flights in 2025.
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, serving as its chairman. Tony Douglas was appointed as its CEO. He previously served as the CEO of UAE airline Etihad Airways from January 2018 until October 2022. Riyadh Air is expected to add $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. Two days later, it was announced that the airline had ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with options for 33 more aircraft.
Riyadh Air unveiled its first livery on 4 June 2023. The livery was painted on its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft. 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. On 12 June 2023, the first aircraft was delivered to the airline's fleet by Boeing. 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. On 21 June 2023, at the Paris Air Show, Riyadh Air signed an agreement for 90 GE Aerospace's GEnx-1B engines to power its future fleet of 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
In August 2023, Riyadh Air became the main shirt sponsor of Spanish La Liga club Atlético de Madrid.
Fleet
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 787-9 | — | 39 | TBA | Order with 33 options. |
| Total | — | 39 | ||
See also
- List of airlines of Saudi Arabia
- List of Saudi Vision 2030 Projects
