Ambitious airline startup Riyadh Air is supposed to launch flights before the end of 2025. The carrier’s launch timeline had been delayed, due to Boeing 787 delivery delays (which all airlines are dealing with), presumably combined with some delays with installing the carrier’s custom interiors, given all the supply chain constraints.
Along those lines, we’re starting to get more of a sense of when Riyadh Air will launch flights, as it could be less than three months away…
In this post:
Riyadh Air secures Riyadh to London slots for winter
Riyadh Air has secured a daily slot pair at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) as of October 26, 2025, which the airline will use for Riyadh (RUH) flights.
The airline acquired these slots through the British Midland remedy process (British Airways parent company IAG acquired British Midland back in 2012, and as a competitive measure, British Airways has to give up select slots).
The fact that Riyadh Air picked up these slots has been disclosed by Airport Coordination Limited, which oversees slots at the UK’s busiest airport. The expectation is that Riyadh Air will operate flight RX401 to London as an early morning flight, arriving around 7:30AM, while Riyadh Air will operate flight RX402 to Riyadh as a daytime flight, departing around 9:30AM.
These slots are awarded on a seasonal basis, and come with an 80/20 rule, meaning that if airlines don’t use 80% of their slots, they’ll forfeit them. I can’t imagine that Riyadh Air would want to forfeit these slots, given how valuable they are, and also, it wouldn’t be good for the carrier’s future prospects at Heathrow.
But how would Riyadh Air fly to Heathrow if it doesn’t yet have any of its new Dreamliners? Well…
Riyadh Air will likely use ex-Oman Air 288-seat 787
Riyadh Air actually already does have a single Boeing 787-9, with the registration code HZ-RXX. This is an eight year old plane that previously flew for Oman Air, before being acquired by Riyadh Air in January 2025.
Riyadh Air never intended to use this plane for regularly scheduled service. Instead, it was acquired so that the airline could get its air operator certificate, for crew training purposes, and for air shows. It was also intended as a potential spare aircraft, in case it’s needed, once the airline acquires its own aircraft.
However, it seems likely at this point that Riyadh Air will use this aircraft to launch operations. We know this because Riyadh Air disclosed in a filing that it will use a 288-seat Boeing 787-9, which is also exactly how many seats you’ll find on this ex-Oman Air aircraft.
The plane has 30 business class seats and 258 economy class seats. Business class consists of Apex Suites, in a 2-2-2 configuration. I’ve reviewed Oman Air’s business class before, and it’s great.
While I’m a fan of the product, it’s not exactly the splashy debut that Riyadh Air was wanting to make. Then again, I can understand why the leadership at the airline just wants to rip the band-aid off and start service, even if it’s without the intended plane.
So we’ll see how this all plays out, but this seems to be the direction things are headed.
Bottom line
Riyadh Air has secured a desirable daily slot pair for London Heathrow Airport for this winter, with that season kicking in as of late October 2025. With Riyadh Air still not having taken delivery of its first new Dreamliner, I imagine this means that the airline plans to use its ex-Oman Air Boeing 787-9 for this route.
That’s also supported by the fact that the filing states that the plane used for the route will have 288 seats, which is also the number of seats you’ll find on the ex-Oman Air aircraft.
What do you make of Riyadh Air potentially launching London flights soon?
How was RIyahd air able to get a hold of these slots through this remediation process but not peace air?
British Airways was obligated to give slots on several routes BMI had operated when they took over in 2012. Until this point, only the domestic routes were utilised by Virgin Little Red, then Flybe. Riyadh was one of the routes, routes to Nigeria were not, therefore not eligible.
'Remedy slots' only apply to the following routes previously operated by BMI and which left BA as the only UK airline flying the route from LHR:
London -
Riyadh
Moscow
Cairo
Nice
Edinburgh
Aberdeen
Virgin 'Little Red' and Flybe launched LHR-ABZ and EDI (both now ceased).
Virgin also launched Riyadh using one of the five daily slot pairs available for the route.
When does their first 'new' 787 arrive?
"Supply chain problem" is simply this decade's business school byword for 'sheer management incompetence'. In the 2030s, corporations will conjure up a new trendy term to cling to, and deflect their ineptitude onto something else. Disease and war will only provide cover for so long..
to be fair to airlines, they have taken the world of their suppliers including Boeing seriously.
It is the companies in the supply chain that are not being forthcoming or, if they have been honest with their clients, the airlines have not taken the appropriate caution.
Commercial aircraft are very complex machines. We can see w/ the LH seat situation that LH is obviously not the only one that has failed; someone agreed...
to be fair to airlines, they have taken the world of their suppliers including Boeing seriously.
It is the companies in the supply chain that are not being forthcoming or, if they have been honest with their clients, the airlines have not taken the appropriate caution.
Commercial aircraft are very complex machines. We can see w/ the LH seat situation that LH is obviously not the only one that has failed; someone agreed to do what LH wanted and hasn't delivered.
we just don't know how much and when LH was told - just as we don't know what RX has been told about its airplane plans.
Does it make sense for Saudia to eventually give up its slots to Riyadh Air?
That's been my question too: if co-owned Saudia is just going to be downgraded to the Hajj airline, then why would it matter if they vacate Heathrow and just serve Gatwick?
I suspect that Saudia's Heathrow slots may be leased under specific usage-terms, or subject to lottery-pooling if they were to give them up (otherwise, the K.S.A. would've done exactly as you say). But that's just speculation on my part.
Saudia is not "downgraded to a hajj airline", it will simply be focusing on Jeddah (JED) and leaving (gradually) Riyadh (RUH) to Riyadh Air. Saudia will be the JED airline and Riyadh Air will be the RUH airline. Two national airlines for two cities/hubs that's all there is to it. Both regions are big enough and far enough from each other to support an airline. It's similar to what China has been doing assigning/separating airlines...
Saudia is not "downgraded to a hajj airline", it will simply be focusing on Jeddah (JED) and leaving (gradually) Riyadh (RUH) to Riyadh Air. Saudia will be the JED airline and Riyadh Air will be the RUH airline. Two national airlines for two cities/hubs that's all there is to it. Both regions are big enough and far enough from each other to support an airline. It's similar to what China has been doing assigning/separating airlines into regions albeit obviously on a lighter scale.
Saudia can't give up all its slots because it will need them for Jeddah-London. However the Riyadh-London slots will certainly be transferred to Riyadh Air but only when RX will be able to operate the route at the same frequency and efficiency as Saudia currently does I imagine.
What’s up. You haven’t covered the emergency landing by DL56 (MSP to AMS) or the landing gear fire on AA3023 (DEN to MIA). There was another (small) plane crash in Canada.
A. ) This isn't Accident Investigations
B.) Both events have been well covered on "legacy media"
It does seem like it has taken them longer to get started than they planned.
London does seem like a core destination they have to serve - and VS is already scheduled to operate the route along with BA and SV.