Riyadh Air

What Riyadh Air does

Riyadh Air (legal name Aviation Services Company) is a PIF-owned national carrier headquartered at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, founded in March 2023 and incorporated to deliver against Saudi Vision 2030's aviation and tourism diversification targets. The airline commenced commercial passenger operations on October 26, 2025 with a Riyadh-London Heathrow Boeing 787-9 service and has subsequently expanded to Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Manchester, and Madrid, with US routes approved by the DOT in June 2026 and a publicly stated goal of serving 100+ destinations by 2030. It operates a premium long-haul product across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins, supplemented by a wholly-owned Riyadh Cargo subsidiary (launched January 2026), the Sfeer loyalty program (with Hilton, Uber, and Mastercard partners), and the Hafawa premium lounge.

The airline is architected from a clean sheet on an AI-native technology stack built on IBM watsonx Orchestrate across 59 workstreams with 60+ technology partners (Adobe, Apple, FLYR, Microsoft, Sabre), avoiding legacy PSS/CRS systems. Core technology assets include NDC-based Modern Air Retailing via direct API and aggregators (Verteil, AirRetailer, TPConnects, TravelFusion, NuFlights), SabreMosaic Continuous Revenue Optimizer for dynamic pricing, and a proprietary B2B Agency Hub. The fleet plan comprises 39 firm Boeing 787-9s (plus 33 follow-on), 25 firm Airbus A350-1000s (plus 25 rights), and 60 Airbus A321neos, although only three 787-9s were in service as of June 2026.

Revenue is generated primarily through passenger ticket sales (unit-priced by cabin), ancillary services (seats, baggage, Wi-Fi), air cargo via Riyadh Cargo, and partner-driven loyalty monetization. Distribution combines direct digital (website/app), corporate/B2B sales, OTA partnerships (Almatar), and 10+ codeshare/interline agreements (Delta, Singapore Airlines, Air China, China Eastern, Saudia, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM, Air India). Capital is sourced from PIF equity and a SAR 5.0 billion (~$1.33B) Islamic Revolving Credit Facility arranged in October 2024, with no external private equity or venture capital involvement.

Name

Riyadh Air

Legal name

Aviation Services Company

Website

https://riyadhair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia's PIF-owned national carrier, launched commercially in October 2025 as the world's first AI-native airline, operating a premium long-haul Boeing 787-9 fleet from Riyadh to London, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Manchester, and Madrid with 100+ destinations targeted by 2030.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Transportation Services

NAICS

Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation (481111)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHABAAAH

Long-Haul Full-Service Airlines (Widebody Operators)

Travel & Hospitality/Airlines & Air Travel/Full-Service (Network) Airlines

SECONDARYTHABAAAF

Full-Service Airlines (Passenger + Belly Cargo Integrated)

Travel & Hospitality/Airlines & Air Travel/Full-Service (Network) Airlines

Keywords

• Passenger air travel
• Air cargo services
• Airline loyalty program
• Premium cabin experience
• Codeshare partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Passenger Air Travel: Core revenue from passenger ticket sales across business, premium economy, and economy cabin classes on routes to London, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Manchester, Madrid, and planned expansion to 100+ destinations by 2030.
2. Cargo Operations (Riyadh Cargo): Air cargo services transporting goods in lower hold of passenger aircraft, including textiles, flowers, tea, coffee, and seafood. Launched in 2025 with partnerships for ground handling at major hubs.
3. Ancillary Services: Revenue from seat selection, extra baggage, special meals, Wi-Fi, and other add-on services. Sfeer loyalty points can be redeemed across flights and partner rewards.
4. Loyalty Program Partnerships: Sfeer loyalty program generates revenue through partnerships with Hilton, Uber, muvi Cinemas, and other lifestyle partners. Co-branded card arrangements with Mastercard contribute to loyalty ecosystem monetization.
5. Codeshare and Interline Revenue: Revenue from codeshare arrangements with partner airlines including Delta, Singapore Airlines, Air China, and others, enabling passengers to travel across combined networks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Riyadh Air is a Saudi Arabian national carrier operating scheduled passenger flights on long-haul and regional routes from Riyadh using Boeing 787-9 aircraft across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins. Beyond passenger service, it operates Riyadh Cargo (belly-cargo transport), the Sfeer loyalty program, and the Hafawa premium lounge as integrated commercial offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sfeer: Loyalty program offering Sfeer Points that never expire, partnership privileges, and Founding Member benefits
• Riyadh Cargo
• Hafawa Lounge

Products and services

• Riyadh Air Passenger Flights Scheduled passenger air travel across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins on routes including London, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Madrid, Manchester, and Riyadh, targeting premium long-haul and regional travelers.
• Riyadh Cargo Dedicated air cargo service transporting goods such as textiles, flowers, tea, coffee, and seafood in the lower hold of Riyadh Air passenger aircraft, distributed through ground handling agents and general sales agents across RUH, DXB, LHR, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
• Sfeer Loyalty Program Loyalty program offering Sfeer Points that never expire, partnership privileges with Hilton, Uber, muvi Cinemas, and Mastercard co-branded cards, plus Founding Member recognition and Sfeer Priority Assist benefits for frequent flyers.
• Hafawa Lounge Premium airport lounge at King Khalid International Airport featuring Saudi desert-inspired design, offering luxury hospitality to premium cabin and qualifying Sfeer loyalty members.

Quantifiable outcome

• SabreMosaic CRO dynamic pricing solution can increase airline revenue by up to 3.5%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Emirates: Dubai-based full-service carrier operating a long-haul widebody fleet with an integrated belly cargo business (Emirates SkyCargo), explicitly cited by Riyadh Air as a direct competitor for premium long-haul travelers between the Gulf and Europe/Asia.
• Qatar Airways: Doha-based flag carrier with a premium long-haul widebody fleet and significant belly cargo (Qatar Airways Cargo). Competes head-to-head with Riyadh Air for premium Gulf-origin traffic to Europe, Asia, and North America.
• Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi-based full-service carrier with long-haul widebody operations and Etihad Cargo. Same Gulf premium long-haul competitive set as Riyadh Air and serves overlapping corporate and leisure demand.
• Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines): Saudi Arabia's existing flag carrier and current codeshare partner of Riyadh Air. Operates a similar full-service, widebody-heavy network with belly cargo and competes for the same Saudi-origin premium and religious traffic.

Broad incumbents

• Turkish Airlines: Istanbul-based global network carrier with the world's broadest route network and an integrated cargo business. Riyadh Air is a codeshare partner and competes for transit traffic between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Singapore Airlines: Asia-Pacific benchmark for premium full-service long-haul. Codeshare partner providing Riyadh Air reach into 30+ Asia-Pacific destinations; comparable in cabin product investment and digital retailing sophistication.
• Delta Air Lines: US legacy full-service carrier and codeshare partner (Atlanta-Riyadh from Oct 2026). Comparable in long-haul widebody operations, NDC-based modern retailing, and premium cabin strategy.
• Air France-KLM: European legacy group and codeshare partner of Riyadh Air. Operates comparable full-service widebody long-haul product and integrated cargo businesses (Air France Cargo, KLM Cargo).
• Air China: Chinese flag carrier and codeshare partner connecting Riyadh to ~100 Chinese cities. Comparable widebody long-haul operations and integrated cargo (Air China Cargo).
• Lufthansa: European full-service group with a large widebody long-haul fleet, integrated cargo (Lufthansa Cargo), and premium product benchmarks (First Class, Allegris). Useful comparator for unit economics and premium yield strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RiyadhAir
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@riyadhair
• Facebookfacebook.com/RiyadhAir
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riyadhair
• Instagraminstagram.com/riyadhair
• TikToktiktok.com/@riyadhair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Riyadh Air