Riyadh Air takes to the skies tomorrow. June 10 marks the airline’s first publicly scheduled commercial flight—a major milestone after months of private trial runs. The carrier will fly Riyadh to London Heathrow aboard a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with CEO Tony Douglas laying out an ambitious expansion: 22 destinations within nine months and three additional U.S. cities still to be announced.
The Heathrow route is just the beginning. By late July 2026, Riyadh Air will operate six routes total, adding Jeddah (June 14), Dubai (June 18), Cairo (June 25), Madrid (July 17), and Manchester (July 23, 3X-weekly). Here’s the catch—the airline has already been flying London since October 26, 2025 with a leased 787-9, operating non-public services to keep Heathrow slots active under “use it or lose it” rules.
Three brand-new 787-9 Dreamliners arrived just days ago. Aircraft HZ-RXAA and HZ-RXAB touched down in Riyadh on June 5 after departing Boeing facilities in Charleston, South Carolina, and Paine Field, Washington, on June 4. The third aircraft, HZ-RXAC, landed in Jeddah on June 6 following an almost 14-hour ferry flight from Everett Paine Field. That third delivery accelerated everything—Douglas moved the commercial launch up from July 1 to June 10.
“To see our very first custom-built 787 Dreamliner airplanes touch down in Riyadh is a historic moment for us, and a momentous day for Saudi aviation,” Douglas said at the June 5 induction ceremony. “I couldn’t be more excited or more confident about the future and the legacy we are creating. Not only are we building an airline, we are opening a new gateway to the world from the heart of the Kingdom. We are absolutely ready and excited to welcome the world to Riyadh.”
Fleet and Network Strategy
The 787-9s carry 290 passengers split across four cabins: 28 business, 39 premium economy, and 223 economy. Three more aircraft are due by month-end, two more in July, then one per month through December 2026—putting the airline at 10 aircraft by year-end.
The long-term plan is far more ambitious. Riyadh Air has orders for 39 Boeing 787-9s (with options for 33 more), 60 Airbus A321neo, and 25 Airbus A350-1000s (plus purchase rights for another 25). When all options are exercised, that’s up to 182 aircraft. The A350-1000 will handle long-haul U.S. routes—the airline applied for a U.S. operating permit and confirmed three additional American destinations, though specifics haven’t been revealed yet.
Manchester isn’t random. Douglas framed the route as part of a network “to facilitate seamless transit for travelers from Europe to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and beyond aligning with our ambition to become a global airline.”
Background and Timeline
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman formally announced Riyadh Air on March 12, 2023, as Saudi Arabia’s answer to a global carrier ambition under Vision 2030. The General Authority of Civil Aviation granted the airline its Air Operator Certificate on April 6, 2025, and trial operations on the London route began in October 26, 2025 using a leased Oman Air 787-9.
The path to launch wasn’t straight. Commercial operations were first planned for spring 2025, then pushed to summer 2025, finally resetting to 2026. Boeing manufacturing delays—specifically cabin fitting deliveries—were the culprit. Douglas has explained the airline needed at least three aircraft before opening public sales, following what he calls a “Pathway to Perfect” approach: test systems early with non-revenue flights before strapping in paying passengers.
London and Manchester fill gaps in the market. Neither city currently has nonstop Riyadh service, giving Riyadh Air first-mover advantage on both routes while tapping into Heathrow and Manchester’s extensive networks across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Stay in the loop
Get the latest aviation news updates delivered to your inbox.