Riyadh Air, the Saudi start-up airline announced two years ago, will launch its first route from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport to London Heathrow later this month. Flights will start on October 26 using a Boeing 787-9 that the airline is currently leasing for crew training, certification, and regulatory approvals.
The service will initially only be available to employees and families of the airline and its owner, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). These first passengers are able to acquire tickets by enrolling in Riyadh Air’s new loyalty program, Sfeer, which also launched today. Ticket sales to the public will open once Riyadh Air takes delivery of its first two 787-9s from Boeing later this year.
Initial Flights For ‘Launch Members’ Only
Back in June, Riyadh Air managed to acquire a pair of slots at London Heathrow for the start of the Northern Hemisphere winter season on October 26. The problem is that the airline doesn’t have possession of its own aircraft yet. When it originally placed its order with Boeing for 72 787-9s (39 firm, 33 options), deliveries were expected to begin in December 2024, but production delays have pushed this schedule back to Q4 2025.
London Heathrow’s slot rules are ‘use it or lose it’, so Riyadh Air needs to fill the new slots with active flights this month. As a result, it has chosen to begin flights with ‘Jamila’ (registration HZ-RXX), the technical spare 787-9 currently leased from Oman Air. Airline and PIF staff, along with their families, will be eligible to purchase tickets through Sfeer and will be surveyed for feedback on their experience.
Speaking at a press conference earlier today to announce the new route and the launch of the Sfeer loyalty program, Riyadh Air’s chief executive, Tony Douglas emphasized that his team is “standing up an airline from zero.” As a result, the airline will use the first few weeks of the new route as proving flights and “testing absolutely everything” in order to be fully ready for public flights later this year.
“If you go big bang on day one and assume everything will work perfectly on the first day, well, the reality is it won’t. So we will use that short period to trial everything and make sure the feedback gives us the opportunity to polish every last little detail before I actually sell a ticket to you.”
A New Entrant On The RUH-LHR Route
Ticket sales on the RUH-LHR route will be available to the public once the carrier takes delivery of its first two 787-9s, which Douglas says will be “just weeks after” the October 26 first flight date. Riyadh Air’s first 787-9 recently emerged from the paint shop at Boeing South Carolina in Charleston, and the second is currently going through the final assembly line and is expected to be completed in a month.
The new 3,070-mile RUH-LHR route will have a flight time of approximately seven hours, and will have the following schedule (all times local):
- RX401: Departs RUH at 03:15, arrives LHR at 07:30
- RX402: Departs LHR at 09:30, arrives RUH at 19:15
Riyadh Air will become the fourth airline on the route, which is already served by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Saudia, although the latter will be withdrawing from Riyadh in the coming years to make way for Riyadh Air. The current schedules for the route are as follows:
|
Airlines Operating The RUH-LHR Route |
||
|
Airline |
Peak Frequency |
Aircraft Used |
|
British Airways |
2x daily |
777-200, 787-8/9/10 |
|
Riyadh Air |
Daily |
787-9 |
|
Saudia |
3 x daily |
777-300ER |
|
Virgin Atlantic |
Daily |
A330-900 |
Douglas also shared that once Riyadh Air has its new 787-9s operating on the first route to London, it will be launching a second route to 
Dubai International Airport. This is already a very busy air corridor, with more than 30 flights daily at peak times due to the extensive operations of Saudi and Emirati low-cost carriers. However, it will also be the first time that Riyadh Air goes head-to-head against fellow premium carrier 
Emirates, which flies the route three times daily with its Boeing 777-300ERs.
Sfeer: The New Riyadh Air Loyalty Program
Douglas also announced the launch of Sfeer, the airline’s new loyalty program. Sfeer means “ambassador” in Arabic, but there is also a play on the English word “sphere.” The airline describes the program as a “community-driven, digitally immersive ecosystem”, which aims to not only build loyalty to the airline but foster an engaged community around the new brand.
One of Sfeer’s distinctive features is that it encourages engagement between members, much like social media networks. It will also allow members to share level points with friends and family, allowing them to progress collectively toward higher tiers. According to Douglas, the program is intended to “change the game” in airline loyalty by “emphasizing inclusivity and engagement” rather than the individual transactional models of traditional airline loyalty programs.
Early Sfeer registrants, referred to as “Founders,” will gain priority access to ticket sales on the first Riyadh Air flights to London and invitations to exclusive events. Once fully launched in 2026, Sfeer will include gamified challenges, member leaderboards, and a ‘no points expiry’ policy. The airline said members will also benefit from complimentary Wi-Fi onboard, access to partner offers, and other rewards designed to foster long-term participation.
