Riyadh Air’s first flight – from Riyadh to Istanbul
January 27, 2025
Riyadh Air operated its first test flight to Istanbul (as Flight RXI5014) taking off from Riyadh at 11:35 AM UTC on 23 January 2025. The aircraft used was ‘Jamila’ (registration HZ-RXX), acquired as a technical spare, for supporting the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) preparations, and for training purposes, following delivery delays from Boeing. The ex-Oman Air aircraft is leased, and is not part of Riyadh Air’s March 2023 order for 72 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, and while it does reportedly feature a “high-specification interior,” it does not have the latest Riyadh Air cabin interior. Riyadh Air has confirmed orders for 39 aircraft, plus an option to acquire 33 more.
Riyadh Air’s test aircraft arrived in Saudi Arabia on 13 January 2025 (as Flight RX80), painted in the airline’s pearlescent white ‘pearl livery’, and was welcomed to King Khalid International Airport by members of the Board of Directors His Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Ayyaf, His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, Mr. Faraz Khalid, and Mr. Ayman Abu Aba, the CEO of Riyadh Airports Company.
‘Jamila’ was ‘rolled out’ two days later, and was inspected by His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and Chairman of Riyadh Air.
The choice of Istanbul as the destination for the first test flight may not have been entirely coincidental. Riyadh Air signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with Turkish Airlines last year, setting up a comprehensive partnership. This will provide for seamless interline and codeshare services between the two carriers, allowing passengers to leverage each airline’s extensive global network from the twin hubs at Riyadh and Istanbul, and accessing 130 destinations worldwide in Türkiye, Europe, and the Americas. The agreement will bring reciprocal loyalty program point earnings, the development of broader loyalty agreements, and the exploration of synergies across aviation services, cargo operations, and digital technologies.
The agreement was signed by Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines Chief Investment and Technology Officer and Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas. Konukcu said that the partnership would act as a bridge strengthening bilateral ties between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia while expanding customer travel options and convenience. Tony Douglas highlighted the partnership’s strategic importance, noting enhanced global connectivity through Turkish Airlines’ extensive network.
Riyadh Air has now partnered with eight airlines including Turkish Airlines, with 132 aircraft orders placed (including 60 A321neo aircraft, in addition to the 787-9s) and plans to create over 200,000 jobs.
In November 2024, Riyadh Air confirmed that it would be re-entering negotiations with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers with the aim of ordering further widebody aircraft, and taking the fleet to more than 200 aircraft. It has been reported that Riyadh Air is evaluating both the Boeing 777X and the Airbus A350-1000, and aims to select one or the other in the first or second quarter of 2025.
Riyadh Air intended to launch operations during the second half of 2025 – beginning as soon as they receive two aircraft. But a commercial launch at some point in Q3 2025 is now believed to have been delayed until at least the end of 2025, casting something of a shadow over the progress being made on the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, especially insofar as it affects the aviation sector, tourism, and passenger traffic development. Achieving the annual goal of 300 million visitors would require an almost threefold increase in capacity, making delays to Riyadh Air a real problem for the Kingdom.
