RIYADH: The latest player in the global aviation industry, Riyadh Air, made an appearance with its remarkable livery at the King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital on Monday.
A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted aircraft flew at low altitude over several notable landmarks in the Riyadh skyline, including King Abdullah Financial District, Boulevard City, and some of the iconic main towers, thrilling residents with a glimpse of the Public Investment Fund-owned airline ahead of its public debut at the 54th Paris Air Show on June 19.
A ceremony was organized to mark the beginning of a new era in the Kingdom’s aviation industry. Top officials and notable personalities attended the event.
“Today is the beginning of a new dawn in the aviation sector. This is the first step of many yet to come,” Saleh Al-Jasser, minister of transport and logistics, said.
Riyadh Air will build connectivity from the Saudi capital to over 100 destinations around the world due to its convenient location with over 60 percent of the world’s population within eight hours of flying time.
Prince Haifa bint Mohammed Al-Saud, vice minister of tourism, expressed her happiness over the development and praised the speed with which the airline is moving forward.
“The speed at which we managed to put an aircraft in the sky shows reflects our ambitions,” she said.
The airline aims to be significantly innovative in providing travel services in the sector while being instrumental in delivering the Kingdom’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy and the National Tourism Strategy by leveraging the Kingdom’s strategic location connecting the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Talking to Arab News, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said it is an “important day for all of us and a special moment in history.”
He said the company plans to reveal its second livery later during 2023.
A Riyadh Air aircraft made an appearance with its remarkable livery at the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh on Monday. AN photo
Earlier this month, the PIF-owned airline obtained “RX” as the airline designator code. It aims to facilitate 100 million visits to Saudi Arabia by 2030 by welcoming travelers from around the world. The establishment of Riyadh Air is part of PIF’s strategy to unlock the capabilities of promising sectors that can help drive the diversification of the local economy, adding $20 billion to non-oil gross domestic product and creating more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The new national airline represents PIF’s latest investment in the sector, along with the recently announced King Salman International Airport masterplan, enabling a more financially resilient aviation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, and supporting the industry’s global competitiveness in line with Vision 2030.
According to a press release, the brand identity of Riyadh Air reflects the modern and forward-thinking theme of the Kingdom. “It is inspired by the warmth and hospitality of the Kingdom and the vibrant lavender colors that carpet the desert in the spring, the beautiful livery is one of a series that will continue to push boundaries in aviation. It has been designed to incorporate visual references to the Kingdom and the city which include the sweeping curves of Arabic script with the global campaign tagline ‘The Future Takes Flight.’”
Riyadh Air CEO said: “It has been deliberately designed so, because when it is parked at international airports in megacities across the world, this will instantly be noticed, and will be (an) international projection of brand Riyadh.”
Talking about the official launch of operations, Douglas said the first delivery of aircraft from Boeing is expected in early 2025. “As soon as we start receiving aircraft, we will start operations as quickly as we can in 2025, and it will be a very special year for Riyadh Air.”
