Saudi Arabia needs Riyadh Air because it’s not easy to get to the country, says CEO

Saudi Arabia is “the home of Cristiano Ronaldo [and] a country that’s two-thirds the size of Europe.” Douglas said in a moderated discussion at Aviation Festival Asia 2024 in Singapore on Wednesday.

“The question is: How do you get there?” he said. The answer? “Regrettably not as easy as it should be.”

“It’s difficult to think of a successful international economy that doesn’t have world-class connectivity,” he concluded.

Currently, Saudi Arabia’s sole carrier is the state-owned Saudia, which currently flies to 90 destinations. After Riyadh Air’s launch, Saudia will completely withdraw from Riyadh—Saudi Arabia’s capital—by 2030 and transfer its operations to the new airline, according to Airways Magazine.

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman officially announced Riyadh Air in March 2023. The carrier is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. The new airline is part of a plan to develop Riyadh as a transportation and tourism hub as the country seeks to diversify away from oil.

As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project, the kingdom wants 100 million visits annually by the end of the decade, and hopes tourism can contribute at least 10% of the country’s economy.

On Wednesday, Douglas said that Riyadh Air will get its air operator’s certificate, which would allow the airline to conduct commercial air transport operations, by the end of this year The carrier has provisionally ordered 72 Boeing 787 widebody jets; Douglas did not provide specifics when asked about plans to order narrow-body jets, but suggested the number…