Ambitious airline startup Riyadh Air has just announced plans to launch regularly scheduled commercial flights that are available to the public. The airline has actually already been flying for months, but we just haven’t been allowed to buy tickets… that will finally be changing!
In this post:
Riyadh Air tickets on sale for flights as of July 1, 2026
Riyadh Air is the new Saudi Arabian funded airline that has massive growth plans, as the airline has ordered up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, up to 60 Airbus A321neos, and up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s.
While Riyadh Air was supposed to launch regularly scheduled operations in the summer of 2025, that timeline slipped, a story that’s all too common nowadays. That was a function of Boeing 787 delivery delays, plus delays with the carrier getting its custom interiors ready for service.
We knew that Riyadh Air’s first route would be between Riyadh (RUH) and London (LHR), and the airline got creative with how it launched that service. You see, Riyadh Air had secured Heathrow slots for the IATA winter season, which started in late October 2025. Heathrow has a “use it lose it” clause for slots, so that basically forced Riyadh Air into launching this service.
The airline took a unique approach to this, as it has essentially been flying the route daily since late October 2025, using a spare aircraft that used to fly for Oman Air. So this Boeing 787-9 doesn’t have the standard Riyadh Air interiors.
Since Riyadh Air wanted to make sure it launched regular operations as smoothly possible, it intentionally didn’t open these flights up to the public. Instead, they’ve been exclusively for employees of the airline, employees of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and their families. The airline calls this its “Pathway to Perfect go-to-market plan.”
Anyway, there’s now a major update — Riyadh Air is planning on shortly taking delivery of its first custom fitted Dreamliner, and the airline is also preparing to launch operations that are open to the public. Riyadh Air tickets are now on sale for flights as of July 1, 2026. As before, the service operates with the following schedule:
RX401 Riyadh to London departing 2:35AM arriving 7:30AM
RX402 London to Riyadh departing 9:35AM arriving 6:05PM
Here’s what Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas had to say about this development:
“Today marks a truly exciting milestone for Riyadh Air as we introduce our new aircraft and signature premium experience on our established London route. 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.”
“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. We look forward to welcoming our guests aboard to experience the future of air travel.”
Riyadh Air fares between Riyadh & London
With Riyadh Air tickets now on sale, what are fares like? Well, there’s not much opportunity to get creative here, given that the airline only flies between one set of city pairs. So it’s not like you can simply nest a ticket out of Cairo (CAI), at least for now, for those privileged enough to be allowed to enjoy that facility. 😉
Riyadh Air generally has three fare bundles across cabins — Lite, Smart, and Flex, in economy and premium economy, and Smart, Flex, and Elite, in business class.
If flying roundtrip from London to Riyadh, currently I see business class fares starting at around 27,000 SAR (~7,200 USD).
If flying roundtrip from Riyadh to London, currently I see business class fares starting at around 18,500 SAR (~4,930 USD).
Since one-ways fare are significantly more than half the cost of a roundtrip, one strategy could be to book one direction in business class and one direction in economy, and that starts at around 10,500 SAR (~2,800 USD).
Riyadh Air’s seat maps are also now published on the website.
Keep in mind the airline has a special Business Elite product in the first row, so think of it as being along the lines of the trend of “business class plus” products. I currently see that costing an extra 1,000 SAR (~266 USD) beyond either of the two lower business class fare bundles, as it’s essentially a seat assignment fee. However, if you book the most expensive business class fare bundle, this is included.
Keep in mind that Riyadh Air has its Sfeer loyalty program, and the expectation is that we’re soon going to see loyalty collaborations with several SkyTeam airlines, including Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic. I’m curious how soon those are rolled out (and if anyone sees them rolled out already, please do let me know!).
Bottom line
Riyadh Air is now selling tickets to the public for flights as of July 1, 2026. While the airline has been flying between Riyadh and London since late October 2025, the flights haven’t actually been on sale to the public. With the company now taking delivery of its first custom fitted Boeing 787, the airline clearly feels it’s finally ready for primetime.
Riyadh Air is making a lot of promises when it comes to passenger experience, and I’m very curious to finally see some firsthand reports of the passenger experience.
What do you make of Riyadh Air flights actually going on sale to the public?
What wines, champagnes and beers are they serving?
I don't think they will be allowed to serve alcohol