Riyadh Air Guide 2026: Saudi Arabia's New Carrier and Its Growing Network

Riyadh Air began commercial operations in October 2025 and is expanding fast — its Riyadh hub, current destinations, and four cabin classes on its 787-9 fleet.

Maqalat Editorial Team — Editorial Team — Maqalat September 18, 2026 3 min read

Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia's newest carrier, and the newest name added to the region's list of major airlines — but its newness means any number you read about its network today could change within just a few months. This article records the situation as officially known as of the last verification date, not as a final, fixed state.

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The airline and its hub

Riyadh Air is a new Saudi carrier owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), with its hub at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It operated its first commercial flight on 26 October 2025, making it one of the newest major carriers established in the region — not a company with decades of history like its regional competitors.

Current network: rapid expansion, not a final size yet

As of mid-August 2026, the airline operates ten destinations: London Heathrow, Dubai, Jeddah, Cairo, Madrid, seasonal Malaga, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Dhaka. Confirmed additional destinations: Islamabad (14 August 2026), Lahore (18 August 2026), Bangkok (2 September 2026), and Manila (9 September 2026). The announced plan targets 22 destinations by March 2027, and more than 100 destinations by 2030 — but these are stated goals, not yet-achieved figures.

The fleet

A third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner arrived in Jeddah, and the airline expects to receive 10 aircraft by the end of 2026. The long-term plan includes 72 787-9 aircraft, plus additional orders spanning Airbus A321neo, A350-1000, and Boeing 787-10 types — but these are planned final fleet numbers, not the current operating fleet.

Cabin classes on the 787-9

Class	Details
Economy	223 seats, 3-3-3 layout, 31-inch seat pitch
Premium Economy	39 seats, 2-3-2 layout, 38-inch seat pitch
Business	Safran Unity seat, 1-2-1 layout, 78-inch fully flat bed, sliding privacy door
Business Elite	Just four front-row Business seats, two can combine into a double bed, 32-inch 4K OLED screen

There's currently no First class on the 787-9 fleet — the airline plans a First class product for future widebody aircraft not yet in service.

An honest note

This is a very new airline and its network is expanding almost monthly — don't treat any destination or detail here as final, and check the official site at the time of actual booking. The genuine upside: a brand-new fleet means technically newer seats than many competitors still flying older aircraft on the same routes.

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الأسئلة الشائعة

Its first commercial flight was on 26 October 2025, and the airline is still in a rapid network expansion phase through 2026 — this is a very new carrier, not a company with a long established history.

As of mid-August 2026, the airline operates ten destinations: London Heathrow, Dubai, Jeddah, Cairo, Madrid, seasonal Malaga, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Dhaka — with confirmed additions of Islamabad, Lahore, Bangkok, and Manila during August and September 2026.

Four classes on Boeing 787-9 aircraft: Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and Business Elite (an enhanced Business variant with just four front-row seats). There's currently no First class — it's planned for future widebody aircraft not yet in service.

It's owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and plans a long-term fleet of 72 Boeing 787-9s as part of a larger plan that also includes Airbus types — but that doesn't change the fact that its actual network today is much smaller than established regional carriers, and its details change quickly.

Just four seats in Business class's front row, with two seats able to combine into a double bed, and a 32-inch 4K OLED entertainment screen — compared to 22 inches on the standard Business seat on the same aircraft.

Part of the series: Flight Booking

Article 6 of 6

How many days ahead to book, which day is cheapest, and what real airfare studies actually found.

1.Best Time to Book Flights: Real Numbers from the CheapAir StudyPillar guide
2.Oman Air Guide 2026: Destinations and Cabin Classes
3.Qatar Airways Guide 2026: Doha, Qsuite, and First Class
4.Etihad Airways Guide 2026: Abu Dhabi and 106 Destinations Worldwide
5.Air India Guide 2026: Two Hubs, 45 International Destinations, Four Classes
6.Riyadh Air Guide 2026: Saudi Arabia's New Carrier and Its Growing Network

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