Where will Riyadh Air fly? Ceo Tony Douglas' plans for network and fleet
There will be no further order announcements during the Paris Air Show for the new airline Riyadh Air; but [...]
Riyadh Air
There will be no further order announcements during the Paris Air Show for the new airline Riyadh Air; but on the opening day of the event being held these days, the ceo Tony Douglas has begun to unveil plans for the second Saudi flag carrier.
In this article:
The Riyadh Air project
It has been only three months, in fact, since the first maxi aircraft order (39 Aircraft B787-9 Dreamliner with options for 33 more) and the Saudi Arabian airline Riyadh Air is unveiling just in Paris the first of two liveries.
The company's goal is to take advantage of Saudi Arabia's strategic location to make Riyadh airport a major hub of connections for Asia, Africa and Europe, challenging even the Gulf airlines (Emirates & co.).
The Role of King Khalid International Airport
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
On the sidelines of the Paris event, Tony Douglas reiterated his desire to make Riyadh Air a high-end long-haul carrier that will have as its hub the King Khalid International Airport, in the Saudi capital. But the goal is also to create partnerships with existing Saudi airlines (Saudia first and foremost) to create or strengthen the domestic network and then fuel the offering on intercontinental flights.
For Douglas, the plan to officially launch operations in 2025 remains firm: "In addition to the order with Boeing, we are having several talks for a short-term order for single-aisle aircraft - said the ceo - Despite this we want Riyadh to be an international hub. Almost 93% of services on the airport at the moment. are point-to-point and the capital's airport is poorly served when it comes to international connections."
From Europe to the U.S.: the network
As of today, in fact, if you want to travel from Riyadh to major Far Eastern destinations, such as Tokyo or Shanghai, you have to make a stopover in another country. Riyadh Air's initial destinations, therefore, will "probably include all major capitals in Europe and of course the big cities in the east coast in the United States, as well as the major capitals of the Far East," Douglas then announced.
Prompted by the portal question Air Transport World on the difficulty of finding useful slots, the ceo sketched, "Discussions on possible bilateral agreements are ongoing, Riyadh Air, however, also intends to focus on a home network very significant. the population of Saudi Arabia is very young, has a desire to travel and is equivalent in numbers to about half of Western Europe. There are ample market opportunities."
Agreement with Saudia and other carriers?
Thus, a future as a long-haul, quality carrier certainly looms for Riyadh Air, but it will be able to come to terms with all those airlines (regional or low cost) providing the services on the short and medium range. In talks, of course, there is also a Strong partnership with the other flag carrier Saudia, which will instead strengthen the base in Jeddah.
Returning to the, livery, however, Douglas confirmed that the second model will be unveiled by the end of the year; while the first is on display these days in Paris.
The 737Max hypothesis for short-to-medium range.
Meanwhile, the ceo of Riyadh Air reminded Boeing of the importance of adhere to delivery schedules of new aircraft to arrive in 2025 with a fleet ready to take off, despite known problems and delays on material supply chains.
"Unlike other carriers, we don't have a back-up fleet or even leased aircraft so an important element of our order was precisely to set a precise and realistic timetable of deliveries. Everyone knows how complex this industry is, we're talking about huge global supply chains that have had a number of challenges in recent history, but still, this is a commitment that Boeing has promised to meet," Douglas concluded.
Riyadh Air's plans, finally, would be to close an additional order of about 150 Boeing 737Max which will go to serve domestic routes and regional flights within the six-hour travel time.
