Riyadh Air has altered the launch date of its first full-service flight to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) just weeks before operations are due to start.
On June 8, 2026, Riyadh Air announced that due to the arrival of its third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner over a matter of days, the Heathrow service would now start on June 10, 2026.
The new Saudi Arabian carrier initially scheduled flights to begin on July 1, 2026, but with “deliveries now accelerating”, Riyadh Air said it was “thrilled” to confirm that the inaugural operation would start three weeks early.
The startup airline’s third brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered HZ-RXAC, arrived at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) on June 6, 2026, after an almost 14-hour flight from Everett Paine Field (PAE)
The Riyadh Air’s first two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, registered HZ-RXAA and HZ-RXAB, arrived in Riyadh on June 5, 2026.
مشهد يختصر معنى الفخر والطموح، رسمته الصقور السعودية وطائرتانا الجديدتان في لوحة جسدت أمجاد الوطن وعلوّ طموحه 🇸🇦✈️ pic.twitter.com/jguOGlWfq9
— Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض (@RiyadhAir) June 5, 2026
Ticket sales open to five more cities
Additionally, Riyadh Air announced that ticket sales are now open to the public for five more destinations. The five cities are Cairo (CAI), Dubai (DXB), Jeddah, Madrid (MAD) and Manchester (MAN) with additional routes to follow in the coming weeks.
Flights from Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) will begin to Jeddah on June 14, 2026, Dubai on June 18, 2026, and Cairo on June 25, 2026. Flights will then begin to Madrid on July 17, 2026, and Manchester on July 23, 2026.
Each of these five routes will be served by Riyadh Air’s newly built Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
“Today is a momentous day for Riyadh Air as we open sales for Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid, and Manchester,” Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said. “Following the arrival of our first three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, this is a major step in our journey to connect Riyadh to the world. But this is just the beginning of our rapid expansion; in the coming weeks we will also be announcing the opening of ticket sales to many more exciting destinations.”
Douglas said that the airline’s first destinations had been “carefully selected to serve key markets” for business, tourism, and trade.
“They are designed to facilitate seamless transit for travelers from Europe to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and beyond aligning with our ambition to become a global airline and a significant contributor to Vision 2030,” Douglas added.
Three-time weekly service to Manchester
As of July 23, 2026, three flights per week will operate between Manchester and Riyadh.
Riyadh Air said the service to Manchester “reflects the city’s status as a major economic and cultural hub with strong existing ties to the Kingdom”.
“This vital route strengthens the airline’s mission to connect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with major global and regional hubs and deliver a world-class travel and logistics experience,” the airline said.
Flights will depart Manchester at 08:40 and arrive in Riyadh at 17:20. The return flights leave Riyadh at 01:30 and land in Manchester at 06:40.
“The launch of our new service to Manchester marks another milestone in our journey to connect Riyadh to the world and the world to Riyadh,” Douglas said. “This route has been carefully selected to serve a key market for connecting the North of England to the Middle East.”
