Riyadh Air secures Heathrow slots from BA for planned winter launch
July 31, 2025
Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier Riyadh Air is preparing to enter the UK market this winter with plans to launch daily flights to London Heathrow.
According to filings made with Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), the coordinator of slots at UK airports, the airline has acquired a coveted flight into the UK’s busiest airport through a lease agreement with British Airways.
The documentation reveals that Riyadh Air will operate a daily service between Heathrow and the Saudi capital using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The leased slots from BA, designated for flight numbers RX401 and RX402, are valid from the end of October 2025 through to March 2026.
This timing aligns with the airline’s latest revised timeline, following a delay to its original launch plans.
Riyadh Air nears launch
Riyadh Air, which was officially unveiled in 2023 as part of Saudi Arabia’s wider aviation ambitions, had initially planned to commence operations earlier in 2025.
However, it had to postpone its inaugural flights to the third quarter of the year due to ongoing issues with aircraft availability.
Owing to Boeing’s delay in delivering aircraft on schedule, the carrier expects to receive 50% fewer aircraft than agreed upon.
The move into Heathrow marks a significant step for Riyadh Air as it begins to carve out its international network ahead of a planned full-scale ramp-up over the coming years.
Riyadh Air will use Terminal 4, alongside its compatriot Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA).
The ACL filing shows RX401 is due to arrive in Heathrow at 7.30am, and depart at 9.30am.
Gaining Heathrow slots
While the airline has yet to confirm an official start date for its UK operations, securing daily slots at Heathrow, a constrained airport, signals clear intent to establish a presence on one of Europe’s most premium routes.
In addition, slots are required to be used 80% or the time, or else the airline forfeits them, suggesting Riyadh Air has a high degree of confidence that it will be able to deploy its Dreamliners on the route by October.
Tickets are not yet on sale.
At the Paris Airshow, Riyadh Air announced a deal for up to 50 Airbus A350-1000, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
The agreement included 25 firm orders with purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.
Including the A350, the start-up airline has up to 182 aircraft on order and will operate a three-type fleet, including the Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft, of which it has 60 on order.
Establishing a presence at Europe’s big hubs
Tony Douglas, the carrier’s CEO, has made no secret of the importance of gaining Heathrow slots.
He told the Telegraph last November: “We’re not going public with the full list until we’ve got all the slots. But Western Europe is essential. We’re desperately keen to get access to Heathrow.”
And speaking to Head for Points at around the same time, he appeared confident that the carrier would be an appealing proposition to major airports in Europe.
“I wouldn’t overplay it, but the reality is, everybody wants a new startup, because most jurisdictions have what’s called new entrant rules. So if I’m an existing airline and I’ve already got six a day into your airport, and I turn up and say, ‘I want to go to seven’, and the new entrant turns up and says, ‘I actually just want to put my first one on’, most of them have what’s called the new entrant rule, which means you’re always front of the queue because you’re new entrant,” he said.
