Saudi startup Riyadh Air has locked in its public launch date as ticket sales open to all customers after so far limiting travel with the carrier to employees.
On May 19, 2026, Riyadh Air opened bookings for flights between Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) and London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) starting on July 1, 2026.
A new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, set to be delivered in the coming weeks, complete with Riyadh Air cabin interiors and experiences will launch the service.
Officially, Riyadh Air has flown daily to London-Heathrow since October 26, 2025, using the airline’s technical spare, a Boeing 787-9, registered HZ-RXX, leased from Oman Air called Jamila.
However, tickets on the daily service have not been fully open to the public with only airline staff and those working for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) able to make bookings.
“Today marks a truly exciting milestone for Riyadh Air as we introduce our new aircraft and signature premium experience on our established London route,” Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said. “It demonstrates our deep commitment to delivering a truly world-class journey for our guests, one that blends exceptional comfort, cutting-edge technology and our distinctive Saudi ‘Hafawa’ hospitality from the moment they step on board.”
From May 19, 2026, customers will be able to pick from a four-class configuration including Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
Daily flights will depart King Khalid at 02:35 and arrive in London at 07:30, while a return flight will take off from Heathrow at 09:35 and land back at RUH at 18:05. All times are local.
Riyadh Air will also soon launch services to Cairo, Dubai, Manchester, Madrid and Jeddah for domestic travel.
“Connecting Saudi Arabia with the UK directly and beyond through our growing network of global destinations including Jeddah, Cairo and Dubai, sits at the very heart of what we are building at Riyadh Air and the Kingdom’s ambitions under Vision 2030.” Douglas added.
Photos released by Riyadh Air show a new 787-9 Dreamliner outside a Boeing facility. The aircraft, registered HZ-RXAA, was delivered in May 2026 and is owned by AviLease, according to ch-aviation.
In October 2025, Riyadh Air signed a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner lease agreement with AviLease as it awaits the arrival of its own official fleet.
Initially Riyadh Air plans to operate a fleet of 182 aircraft comprised of Dreamliners, Airbus A350-1000s and A321neos.
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