RIYADH: Marking a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia’s new world-class carrier as it prepares to start operations, Riyadh Air secured the “RX” designator code from the International Air Transport Association.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas made this announcement at the IATA’s 79th annual general meeting being held in Istanbul, Turkiye.
“We are delighted to announce that we have obtained ‘RX’ as our IATA code, which will be on every touch point that our guests see as they take flight with us. The code reflects our ambition to be a digitally led airline, having the connection of innovation and state-of-the-art technology,” Douglas said.
The new airline also unveiled the first of two liveries it will deploy as preparations continue for its launch of flights in 2025.
It released a video on social media on Sunday illustrating its livery. Owned entirely by the Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air was inaugurated in March, with a vision to transform the Kingdom’s capital into a global hub for travel and trade.
The airline, gearing up to start operations by early 2025, confirmed an order of 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners the same month, and is anticipated to order another 150 Boeing 737 Max soon.
“Riyadh Air has made another strategic milestone toward its operations in 2025, and we are so excited for our guests to be able to travel to over 100 destinations with our code on their bag tags, booking documents and digital services,” Douglas added.
The airline aims to leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic positioning, linking the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. This initiative will stimulate economic growth and diversification in the Kingdom, creating over 200,000 job opportunities, both directly and indirectly.
Riyadh Air was founded to bolster the Kingdom’s national aviation strategy as well as the broader national transport and logistics strategy, aligning with the ambition to achieve Vision 2030 objectives.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to be on the ground at the IATA AGM. The Riyadh Air team is able to meet with industry stakeholders and experts to discuss safe, efficient and technologically advanced topics in the global air travel industry,” Douglas stated.
