‎Riyadh Air to focus flights on Saudi Arabia, not to compete with regional competitors: CEO

‎Riyadh Air to focus flights on Saudi Arabia, not to compete with regional competitors: CEO

Saudi flagship carrier Riyadh Air will not compete directly with its GCC peers such as Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, when offering connecting flights through local airports, CEO Tony Douglas told Financial Times.

Instead, Riyadh Air will focus on the niche market of flights to and from the Kingdom, he added.

In March, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the establishment of Riyadh Air as the new national carrier, Argaam’s data showed.

Wholly owned by the sovereign wealth fund, Riyadh Air targets contributing to the development of the Kingdom's air transport sector and leveraging Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents.

Riyadh Air aims to enhance customers’ journey while connecting them to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030. It is expected to contribute up to SAR 75 billion to the Kingdom's non-oil GDP.