PARIS–Planned new Saudi Arabian flag carrier Riyadh Air may come to an arrangement with existing Saudi airlines to create or bolster its planned domestic network.
Riyadh Air is scheduled to launch in early 2025 and its initial focus will be on international services, notably to boost connectivity at its King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) hub, CEO Tony Douglas said June 18 on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
Almost all—93%—of services using KKIA at present are point-to-point and the capital’s airport is underserved when it comes to international connections, Douglas said. At present, if Saudi residents want to travel to major Far East destinations such as Tokyo or Shanghai, for example, they have to connect through another country’s hub.
Initial Riyadh Air destinations will include “probably every major capital in Europe and obviously US touch points, particularly on the east coast.” Major Far East capitals will also feature in early timetables.
Asked about the difficulty of introducing services to slot-constrained major airports, Douglas said discussions on bilateral arrangements were underway.
However, Riyadh Air also intends to have a significant domestic network. Douglas noted that Saudi Arabia’s landmass is equivalent to half of Western Europe and the relatively large and young Saudi population of 38 million presents a large potential market.
While Riyadh Air intends to be a high-end, full-service carrier for long-haul flights, Douglas accepted that for short sectors passengers currently have a range of options, from full-service airlines to ULCCs.
Riyadh Air would make sure that its offerings will be relevant to its brand and that “some other sub-brands could be connected to it.”
Asked to explain further, CCO Vincent Coste told ATW that Riyadh Air would be part of Saudi Arabia’s aviation ecosystem, “so we might want to interact with other airlines in Saudi Arabia, starting with [existing flag-carrier] Saudia, naturally,” he said.
Douglas also hinted at some form of more general cooperation with Saudia, saying: “We will work with our sister national carriers.”
Noting that Saudia’s hub is in Jeddah while Riyadh Air will be based in the nation’s capital, he added, “It will be a very close, well-organized relationship.”
Riyadh Air will not be placing further aircraft orders at the show but remains intent on selecting a narrowbody to complement its 72 Boeing 787-9 orders and options announced earlier this year. Discussions with aircraft manufacturers are ongoing, Douglas said.
The airline is formally unveiling its livery at the show on a Boeing 787-9. Douglas revealed that the carrier will unveil a second color scheme later this year but declined to provide details.
