Riyadh Air Brings Forward Launch Date to June 10, Confirms 5 More Destinations

Riyadh Air’s hotly anticipated first commercial flight will take off this week.

Tickets are available to fly its inaugural fully commercial flight from Riyadh (RUH) to London Heathrow (LHR) on June 10 — a full 3 weeks earlier than previously planned.

“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, it’s the moment the Kingdom’s been dreaming of, and we’re up and running,” said Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air.

Adding to the excitement, the startup national carrier has confirmed that more aircraft will arrive soon and that more destinations will be added shortly.

Here’s everything we know about the latest developments at Riyadh Air.

Riyadh Air Will Officially Take to the Skies This Week

Riyadh Air has been flying between its home in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh (RUH), and the U.K. capital since October, albeit using an ex-Oman Air aircraft, nicknamed Jameela. As of Wednesday, June 10, a Riyadh Air factory-made Dreamliner will take over the route to London. Tickets are available to buy now exclusively via Riyadh Air’s website.

The route was unofficially launched before taking delivery of its bespoke aircraft in order to secure slots at Heathrow and conduct crew training.

The red-eye westbound flights are scheduled to depart in the early hours of the morning, while the return leg from London Heathrow sets off at a respectable 9:35 a.m. Here is the expected schedule:

These times will change slightly when the U.K. clocks go back at the end of October.

Riyadh Air has placed orders for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s, and up to 60 Airbus A321neos, with which it plans to operate an extensive global route network.

Douglas confirmed on Monday that the airline will have 6 aircraft on hand by the end of June, with a further 2 planes scheduled to arrive in July. Thereafter, Riyadh Air expects to take delivery of 1 aircraft per month.

“We’ll take our first Airbus delivery at the end of the year as well,” Douglas told CNBC in an interview on Monday morning. He didn’t specify whether it would be an Airbus A321neo or an Airbus A350-1000.

After London, Riyadh Air will launch flights to 5 more destinations from Riyadh in the coming months:

Douglas also revealed that 6 more destinations will be announced soon and that the Indian subcontinent is a focus region for the airline. He expects Riyadh Air to serve 22 destinations by March next year. We don’t know for sure yet, but there’s no reason that list couldn’t include a U.S. city.

Riyadh Air Cabin Classes and Fares

Let’s take a look at the ticket cost for each cabin and what is included.

Business Class and Business Elite

An example ticket for a business-class seat from Riyadh to London costs a cool 16,154 Saudi Arabian riyals ($4,308).

There are 3 fare types that increase in price: Smart, Flex, and Elite. The more you pay, the more baggage allowance you get and the more Sfeer and Level points you earn.

All fare types come with fast-track security, lounge access, and even a chauffeur service. We’ve reached out to Riyadh Air to learn more about the flight distances that include chauffeur service and which lounge Riyadh Air will use in London. We’ll update this as soon as we hear back.

If you book a Smart or Flex fare, you can pay an extra 1,000 Saudi Arabian riyals ($266) to select a Business Elite seat in the front row of the cabin. Douglas compares this seat and experience to first class.

These 4 seats boast 32-inch screens (10 inches larger than the 24-inch screens in the other 24 business class seats), which Riyadh Air claims are the largest in the industry. An added bonus of Business Elite is that the middle 2 seats combine to make a large double bed.

Booking the most expensive Elite fare type comes with free Business Elite seat selection.

Premium Economy and Economy

An example one-way ticket for a seat in premium economy, the middle cabin class, starts at $1,222, while economy starts at $687. Like business class, there are 3 fare types, albeit with slightly different names: Lite, Smart, and Flex.

“It’s a halfway house that’s probably better than most business classes out there,” Douglas said when referring to the experience offered in Riyadh Air’s premium economy cabin.

As with the business-class fare types, the more you pay, the more Sfeer and Level points you earn and the more checked baggage allowance you get. Flight change and refund restrictions also become more lenient. Only Flex fares come with complimentary seat selection.

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Riyadh Air's premium economy fare types and inclusions. Image Credit: Riyadh Air

Final Thoughts

It’s finally possible to book a seat on a Riyadh Air Dreamliner.

The inaugural commercial passenger flight, brought forward to June 10, is a huge step forward for the Saudi Arabian startup. London Heathrow is just the first destination in what it hopes will be a large global network to rival the likes of Emirates and Qatar Airways.