We know that Saudi Arabia is in the process of launching an ambitious new airline, which is expected to grow at a very fast pace. The airline hasn’t had some big formal launch where we learned everything, but rather it seems that individual aspects of the airline have slowly been announced over time.
In this post, I wanted to take an updated look at everything we know so far about the airline. The company’s CEO gave some pretty interesting interviews during the Paris Air Show, so I wanted to integrate what I learned into this post.
In this post:
What we know so far about airline startup Riyadh Air
Riyadh Air is the name of Saudi Arabia’s new national airline, owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund. As it’s described, the airline is intended to usher in a new era for travel and aviation in Saudi Arabia, and provide tourists from around the globe the opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia’s cultural and natural attractions. The airline is expected to add $20 billion of non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Let’s cover what we know so far about this airline.
Riyadh Air is run by Tony Douglas
Riyadh Air’s CEO is Tony Douglas, the former CEO of Etihad Airways. Douglas is an interesting choice, because at Etihad he was focused on shrinking the airline into profitability, after the previous CEO lit billions of dollars on fire. It’s going to be interesting to see how he does balancing Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goals for the airline with creating a company that’s sustainable.
To give you a sense of Douglas’ approach with the airline, below is a recent interview he gave, where he describes the vision for the airline.
Riyadh Air’s management team goes way beyond Douglas, though. The airline has hired so many well respected executives and managers from other airlines, so the airline has built quite the team in Riyadh.
Riyadh Air will launch operations in early 2025
As it stands, Riyadh Air’s goal is to launch operations in the first half of 2025. That’s ambitious for a large airline startup, but seems somewhat realistic, assuming there are no aircraft delivery delays. What’s interesting is that when Douglas was asked if he’s confident about that timeline, he said “for sure.” He sure is optimistic, given how many Boeing 787 delivery delays we’ve seen.
Riyadh Air will be based in Riyadh, serve 100 destinations
Riyadh Air isn’t hoping to be some small, boutique airline. Rather the airline is hoping to grow to be the size of Emirates, only much faster. The company’s goal is to serve over 100 destinations globally by 2030, which is some very fast growth.
Riyadh Air will be based at Riyadh Airport. Historically Saudia has been Saudi Arabia’s national airline, and the company has had operations out of both Riyadh and Jeddah. So with the forming of Riyadh Air, I’d expect the airline to focus almost exclusively on Riyadh, while Saudia increasingly focuses on Jeddah.
What’s interesting is that Douglas claims that the airline isn’t primarily targeting connecting passengers (as the other Gulf carriers do), but rather is targeting those traveling to and from Riyadh, as he feels the city isn’t currently well enough connected. He points out that the Saudi Arabia is the biggest economy in the Gulf, and the country is the second fastest growing in the world. That’s a major difference compared to airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways, where a vast majority of passengers are connecting.
As part of this massive growth plan, Saudi Arabia plans to build a new mega-airport in Riyadh, which will be known as King Salman International Airport. The airport will stretch over 57 square kilometers (22 square miles), and will be able to accommodate 120 million travelers annually by 2030, and up to 185 million travelers annually by 2050.
Riyadh Air will fly Boeing 787s, and more
Riyadh Air will be launching operations with Boeing 787-9s. The airline has ordered up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, including a firm order for 39 jets, and options for a further 33 jets.
Riyadh Air is also expected to place a narrow body aircraft order in the near future. The airline is deciding between the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo, with the company reportedly leaning toward the former. I imagine we’ll see more aircraft orders in the future, though that seems to be the starting point for the airline.
Riyadh Air has also revealed a bold livery for its Boeing 787s. The airline has another livery it will reveal later this year, and then we’ll see both of those liveries at launch. I can’t think of another airline that has two liveries, so that’s unique (some airlines have some minor variations with each plane, like Frontier and JetBlue, but nothing like this).
By the way, the 787 in full Riyadh Air livery doesn’t actually belong to the airline. This is just a Boeing aircraft that was temporarily painted in the Riyadh Air livery, so that the airline can build up excitement about its launch. There are no plans for that actual plane to ever fly for Riyadh Air.
Riyadh Air will have three cabins, no first class
While we don’t have any exact cabin details as of now, the plan is for Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787s to feature three classes of service. They’ll have business class, premium economy, and economy, but won’t have first class.
Exact details of the product remain to be seen, but I’d expect that the carrier’s hard product will be really competitive. Here’s what Douglas has hinted at:
- The airline promises that all three cabins will redefine the standard of what you’d expect, including a “business plus” and “an amazing economy product”
- The airline promises to have an “obsessional attention to detail”
My take on Riyadh Air
Saudi Arabia seems committed to launching this new airline concept. The country has hired some really smart people to run the airline, so in that sense, the company is about as well positioned as it possibly could be.
I get that that the country has money to spare, though realistically speaking, I’m still not sure I totally understand the vision. First of all, what’s the logic for Saudi Arabia starting a second major global airline?
- Saudia has been growing significantly, including modernizing its fleet
- Saudia has done a good job serving both Jeddah and Riyadh, by often operating alternating frequencies to the two cities
- While I think there are situations where it can make sense to split up airlines (like what Aeroflot did with Rossiya… well, at least before the invasion of Ukraine), I’m not sure I get the concept of creating two competing global long haul airlines, in terms of synergies, brand recognition, etc.
Perhaps the government thinks Saudia has “legacy” issues, and starting from scratch might just be easier. But at that point doesn’t it almost make sense to shut down Saudia, send the planes to the new airline, and start over, rather than having two competing government-owned airlines?
If you ask me, the biggest challenge that Riyadh Air faces is convincing non-Muslims that they’d want to travel to or through Saudi Arabia. For that matter, that’s the biggest challenge that Saudi Arabia faces with its ambitious tourism goals.
The perception of Saudi Arabia is very different than the perception of the UAE, for example, where a lot of people are very happy to vacation. If Saudi Arabia hopes to see widespread tourism, the country needs to relax restrictions, including around alcohol, clothing, conduct, etc.
Places like the UAE have shown that you can have laws based on Islam while still attracting tourists from all over the globe. That’s not to say that I agree with all of the UAE’s laws (of course), but it’s objectively a place that many feel comfortable traveling to, with fairly few problems. Saudi Arabia doesn’t have the same reputation, at least as of now.
Lastly, I think it’s interesting that Riyadh Air is primarily intending to target local traffic, rather than connecting traffic. Yes, Riyadh has a large population, but without a majority of passengers connecting beyond Riyadh, I have to imagine it’ll be tough for an airline the size of Riyadh Air to fill planes.
Bottom line
Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s new national airline. The country has ambitious plans for this airline, which is expected to launch operations in early 2025. Riyadh Air will initially fly Boeing 787s, and hopes to serve 100 destinations by 2030. This is no doubt an ambitious project, and I’m curious to watch how this plays out over time.
What do you make of Riyadh Air?
I visited Saudi last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - people are very friendly and hospitable. I rented a car drove from the border with Bahrain to the sw corner near Yemen.
As for LGBT concerns, just remember that polygamy is still illegal in the US so the adage of marrying who you love only applies to one partner. Until this changes I see no reason for Saudi to change its policies either.
One could sense it's another overhyped project - first it was supposed to be a very luxurious airline, now Tony D. realized that no one will pay big bucks to go and visit KSA, so they no longer plan for the 1st class. Business class will cater to the hordes of international consultants flying there weekly to charge them big bucks for their advice.
They think people will travel to see bollocks Neom, another...
One could sense it's another overhyped project - first it was supposed to be a very luxurious airline, now Tony D. realized that no one will pay big bucks to go and visit KSA, so they no longer plan for the 1st class. Business class will cater to the hordes of international consultants flying there weekly to charge them big bucks for their advice.
They think people will travel to see bollocks Neom, another 5 star resort or boring Alula - please... Emirates is a whole different ball game, cause you don't go there for sightseeing but OPEN SOCIETY and LACK OF SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS and don't give me a retarted argument 'but women can drive'. You can have that if the conservatie part of society is small, something like <5% of population, and that's the case in UAE - you simply can't have that in KSA.
Given the location and the lack of desire of many to go I think they should focus on connecting traffic. It could be a convenient place to transit if flying the US or Europe to Asia or Africa or the reverse. The question is if the airline will be as luxurious as other Mid East carriers and if the pricing will reflect it. Would also help if they obtain partnership status with others. Just another resort down will not necessarily be enough to attract people.
I hope I don’t get Salmanella from the food at the new airport.
Gross--just gross--that you wrote a post about this
Uh, what in the heck are you talking about? Visit an aviation blog and complain about an aviation article. What an imbecile.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned as much: what about partners/alliances?
Sure alliances may be a bit outdated, but you'd think Riyadh would want to connect with at least one each of the USA3, PRC3, European airline groups, and probably a carrier from SE Asia too, no?
Haven't really heard a peep about their plans there. I'd be particularly interested in which of the US airlines (if not multiple) that it attempted to align with:...
One thing I haven't seen mentioned as much: what about partners/alliances?
Sure alliances may be a bit outdated, but you'd think Riyadh would want to connect with at least one each of the USA3, PRC3, European airline groups, and probably a carrier from SE Asia too, no?
Haven't really heard a peep about their plans there. I'd be particularly interested in which of the US airlines (if not multiple) that it attempted to align with: my guess would be Delta, despite Saudia being in SkyTeam.
Lets not forget the KSA also planning to launch a third megacarrier, Neom Airlines! How will all this fit in with rest of the competition.
Perhaps would've made sense to launch just one airline leaving Saudia alone and perhaps this new one could've made Neom the primary hub (In which case of course Riyadh Air wouldn't be correct name!)
I think they have a number of real issues to contend with, one is of course being a devoted country to Islam verses "western" travel requirements creates a huge cultural clash. Second what is there in Saudi Arabia that would compel "westerners" to travel a long way to visit? Not like UAE where you have so many places to of interest to see, where else can you snow ski in the middle of the desert!...
I think they have a number of real issues to contend with, one is of course being a devoted country to Islam verses "western" travel requirements creates a huge cultural clash. Second what is there in Saudi Arabia that would compel "westerners" to travel a long way to visit? Not like UAE where you have so many places to of interest to see, where else can you snow ski in the middle of the desert! A place where westerners can come and within reason so as they please. I personally enjoy Dubai and all it has, they have great restaurants!
No sure in the end Saudi money can buy success here.
You do know that there’s much more to this world than just the “westerners” you talk about, right?
Western exceptionalism is not a good look.
Whether you like it or not, this planet is a diverse one that doesn’t need to specifically cater to the Aryan race anymore.
Actually Saudi Arabia has a lot more to do than Dubai. Dubai is basically one city. KSA is an entire country. There are a huge number of historical sites, not just Muslim but Jewish and Christian. The question, of course, is how much they want to develop, promote, and respect non-Muslim sites. But if they decide to do so, there would be a lot more to do than Dubai could ever offer
The UAE is an entire country though. And the UAE as a whole seems to be more more conducive to global tourism than Saudi Arabia. Even outside Dubai there’s things like Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
Yep, including attractions at embassys, one could literally get lost there... and be found in pieces.
I wonder if they'll join an alliance
The other livery is already revealed, more conventional white with color tail. Someone had it on a Riyadh thread on A.net a couple of days after the purple livery appeared
Riyadh Air is part of the extension of air travel to larger and larger parts of the world's population - no different than what is happening in India.
Saudi Arabia has been underserved and there are valid reasons for that - some of which are noted in reader comments - and which country and company leaders understand.
Assuming basic economic rather than cultural norms for international travel are adhered to, I wouldn't hesitate to...
Riyadh Air is part of the extension of air travel to larger and larger parts of the world's population - no different than what is happening in India.
Saudi Arabia has been underserved and there are valid reasons for that - some of which are noted in reader comments - and which country and company leaders understand.
Assuming basic economic rather than cultural norms for international travel are adhered to, I wouldn't hesitate to transit Saudi Arabia any more than other countries.
And remember that Emirates started as a point to point operation for the UAE - and is now much more heavily focused on connections.
Finally, the entire Middle East airline market including Turkey and Ethiopia which somewhat overlap - is becoming more and more crowded - esp. in light of the impending end of A380 operations within 10-15 years. It isn't a stretch to think that there will be a shift in traffic from the UAE to other countries because of the end of A380 operations alone.
Douglas: Saudia Hospitality,
Do he meant murdering journalist in embassy on foreign soul?
The “ifs” that Ben describes are precisely their plan. The intent for the Kingdom is to spend hundreds of billions to create tourist-focused, restriction-relaxed zones with major international hotels, golf courses, restaurants and beaches. Those areas will not carry the conservative Saudi bans and will be the on-land equivalent of what they hope the airline will be. Whether or not the mainstream world suspends their issues with the broader worldview and spends their tourist dollars...
The “ifs” that Ben describes are precisely their plan. The intent for the Kingdom is to spend hundreds of billions to create tourist-focused, restriction-relaxed zones with major international hotels, golf courses, restaurants and beaches. Those areas will not carry the conservative Saudi bans and will be the on-land equivalent of what they hope the airline will be. Whether or not the mainstream world suspends their issues with the broader worldview and spends their tourist dollars to visit remains to be seen, but that is plan.
Meanwhile, Saudia will continue to service the “core Saudi” mission as the “Custodian of the Two Mosques.” I expect that Saudia’s international service will reduce slightly and perhaps that Riyadh Air’s planes will be commandeered annually for increased service for Hajj.
Riyad Air is very consistent with their vision of making the Kingdom “real” on the global tourism, sports and business stage.
Why do they have already and aircraft painted if they are starting operations in 2 years time?
Ben explained it in another article: that plane was built for Miat Mongolian Airlines, and Riyadh is paying to "borrow" it for launch advertisement purposes, especially at this week's Paris Air Show.
It will not be one of Riyadh's actual planes.
Yes. It will take time but their decisions will make a big difference. Also without partners and a robust loyalty program it will be difficult to compete. They have to keep in mind that transiting in Saudi is not necessarily a desirable method.
There is a case for having two public sector owned airlines. It enables the owner to benchmark performance operational, financial, service quality etc. - against each other and take measures so the weaker can catch up.
That is an insanely stupid reason to operate two airlines - even for a country with endless amounts of $.
Worthless MBA speak…
When will the new airport open for operations?
Presumably they're copying the Chinese model of having competing state owned firms? China Eastern, China Southern and Air China all compete and it seems to work fairly well for them. I haven't looked at their financial figures but they seem to be better quality wise and financially than many other state owned carriers.
It would explain why they want a clear geographic split.
I would venture to say that a geogrpahically massive country of 1.3 billion people is a better fit for multiple airlines. This will be an endlessly subsidized failure.
Definitely interesting to watch.
My thoughts:
1. There is a string expectation that many policies in KSA (economic, social and geo political) will change once there is a new king. This could work well for a new airline.
2. I think there are two very distinct traveler segments that KSA is eyeing. One is the transiting passengers (maybe staying for 1-2 days), similar to what QR and EK are serving. The other...
Definitely interesting to watch.
My thoughts:
1. There is a string expectation that many policies in KSA (economic, social and geo political) will change once there is a new king. This could work well for a new airline.
2. I think there are two very distinct traveler segments that KSA is eyeing. One is the transiting passengers (maybe staying for 1-2 days), similar to what QR and EK are serving. The other is unique to Saudi - the haj passengers coming to visit the holy sites. I can see it making some sort of (weird) sense to provide them with very different inflight experiences, from food and beverage to entertainment to modesty of crew.
3. I agree with one of the commentators that the government in KSA, being a very large family basically, has its little factions, so wouldn't rule out that there is also competition playing some role here.
On 2 -
At least historically, most Hajj and Umrah passengers fly into Jeddah, given the proximity of that city and airport to Makkah and Madinah. So, it would make sense for Saudia to continue to cater to that audience while Riyadh Air caters to more tourist and transit passengers.
Another reason I believe there is a business case for Riyadh Air and Saudia is the number of local destinations that Saudia currently serves (in the region of 27) which takes up a lot of capacity. The route between Riyadh and Jeddah is one of the busiest in the world. Saudia’s international network on the other hand is relatively weak. I would imagine Riyadh Air focussing primarily on operating flights out of Riyadh and having...
Another reason I believe there is a business case for Riyadh Air and Saudia is the number of local destinations that Saudia currently serves (in the region of 27) which takes up a lot of capacity. The route between Riyadh and Jeddah is one of the busiest in the world. Saudia’s international network on the other hand is relatively weak. I would imagine Riyadh Air focussing primarily on operating flights out of Riyadh and having limited internal connections. It would make a lot of sense if Saudia and Riyadh Air were to cooperate in some way (at minimum via codesharing, belonging to the same alliance and frequent flyer program). Saudia already has a well established FFP with more than 8 million members.
As has been discussed before here, Saudia has a large captive market – millions going to perform Umrah and Hajj – that won't put up with alcohol on board. In effect, there are two Saudis now – the traditional one and the modern one. In many ways it's still a deeply, deeply conservative country, and yet there are mixed gender dance raves too (and a massive dating scene). Riyadh Air will serve the modern Saudi....
As has been discussed before here, Saudia has a large captive market – millions going to perform Umrah and Hajj – that won't put up with alcohol on board. In effect, there are two Saudis now – the traditional one and the modern one. In many ways it's still a deeply, deeply conservative country, and yet there are mixed gender dance raves too (and a massive dating scene). Riyadh Air will serve the modern Saudi. There's no point in trying to replace Saudia when the two airlines will have different markets.
Also as has been discussed, Riyadh Air will allow alcohol, as will Red Sea resorts, along with Riyadh airport most likely, and perhaps designated areas of the capital. The designs for the Red Sea resorts were leaked which show bars, and people are not paying those prices for dry hotels. The leaks were part of a subtle plan acclimatize the populace to the new realities. They did the same with opening cinemas – announced it, then unannounced it (said it was a rogue ministerial employee), then eventually announced it proper. They like to send hints to the populace what's coming.
Don't underestimate the impact that Qiddiya will have – the largest entertainment venue on earth, just outside Riyadh. Just one Six Flags will be a speck in the final thing. It could well be a drawcard on a fascination level – as could Neom, of course. There's plenty of legitimate skepticism about that, but if they pull it off, a lot of people are going to want to have a look.
The fly in the ointment is the locals' tendency to screw things up. They're a proud people not given to self-reflection, and the poor service and frequent service disruptions that occasion the endemic incompetence are likely to put a lot of people off coming. Many will come to experience the country, and a fair few will publish vlogs and blogs about just how dysfunctional the place is. Over time, they'll overcome this – with enough training and quality checks, but until that point there will be a lot of annoyed tourists who will put off a lot of others from coming.
"As has been discussed before here, Saudia has a large captive market – millions going to perform Umrah and Hajj – that won't put up with alcohol on board"
Except many people also fly in on other airlines that serve alcohol as well for Hajj and Umrah, they just market flights specifically as Hajj and Umrah and don't serve alcohol on those flights. No reason for Saudia not to do that as well.
"The fly...
"As has been discussed before here, Saudia has a large captive market – millions going to perform Umrah and Hajj – that won't put up with alcohol on board"
Except many people also fly in on other airlines that serve alcohol as well for Hajj and Umrah, they just market flights specifically as Hajj and Umrah and don't serve alcohol on those flights. No reason for Saudia not to do that as well.
"The fly in the ointment is the locals' tendency to screw things up."
That and the unbearable weather that would make visiting anytime between late May and late October about as unpleasant as possible.
@Julia -- I agree about the weather. But for six or so months it's beautiful. In fact the last 6-7 month stretch has been the best in over a decade.
As for the airlines, the point is that they can make more money by branding to different constituencies. Saudia is known as the Hajj airline – it brings far more pilgrims than any other. Naturally, it's located in Jeddah because of its proximity to...
@Julia -- I agree about the weather. But for six or so months it's beautiful. In fact the last 6-7 month stretch has been the best in over a decade.
As for the airlines, the point is that they can make more money by branding to different constituencies. Saudia is known as the Hajj airline – it brings far more pilgrims than any other. Naturally, it's located in Jeddah because of its proximity to the religious destinations. Riyadh is being transformed into a tourist destination (I'm looking forward to seeing King Salman Park – the largest city park in the world.) Sure, it seems like hubris to have two separate national airlines, but given the scale of the difference between the customers, it's understandable. Especially so when the Islamic middle class worldwide is growing so rapidly.
The one thing I do not agree ago is the “endemic incompetence”. Looking at the airports, the passport control, security staff and customs staff (all local) are friendly and organized. This is a big change from 10 years ago when a trip to Riyadh or Jeddah was something I dreaded. For transit passengers, the current Riyadh Airport is easy and quick to navigate, and whilst not flashy, I certainly prefer it to Dubai and Abu...
The one thing I do not agree ago is the “endemic incompetence”. Looking at the airports, the passport control, security staff and customs staff (all local) are friendly and organized. This is a big change from 10 years ago when a trip to Riyadh or Jeddah was something I dreaded. For transit passengers, the current Riyadh Airport is easy and quick to navigate, and whilst not flashy, I certainly prefer it to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Government services are online and are generally efficient. The only area I do sometimes see incompetence, is the private sector. Things are changing rapidly and the government is clearly committed to improving standards all round.
I'd say the new Jeddah airport is nicer than the one in Riyadh. The airport in Riyadh is...ok.
I would agree with that. Except the long walking distances involved at Jeddah. Otherwise, a beautiful airport.
@Robert B
I don't think the walk is much longer than other large airports.
You know they have a train right?
You are right, they do have a train in the international part of the airport. My preference for Riyadh is simply the short distances from check-in to departures and disembarking to arrivals. But this is because Riyadh is an old airport. In the same way, I used to love the old Bahrain airport when I was based there for the same reason though many regarded it as sub-standard.
I wasn't referring to the airports. I agree they're more professional than they used to be. I meant normal day-to-day experiences of tourists. Like in hotels. The level of dysfunction is extraordinary. I watched a recent vlog by some visitors who said, Yeah, they're not ready for tourists. It was an accurate comment. They think they're ready, but they're going to annoy a lot of people – like the ones in the video.
I'm surprised as well that you have had bad experiences in hotels. I live in Riyadh and did have a few "staycations" in Riyadh during COVID times. I travel a lot on business to Jeddah, Dammam and Jubail and have never had a bad experience in any (internationally branded) hotel. In fact the experience is comparable to any other part of the region - IMHO.
Anyone else seeing Roger Federer's logo here?
Also, given how much PIF is spending on football, both domestically and in England, I could see this as part of a broader push towards getting a World Cup and showing off their mega infrastructure projects to the world.
They just took over the golf world.
Is there anything in the releases on if they plan to serve alcohol on their aircraft/lounges/airports? I know the bar and alcohol selection is a big pull for Emirates, and right now Saudi Airlines and the country are dry.
Presumably they're copying the Chinese model of having competing state owned firms? China Eastern, China Southern and Air China all compete and it seems to work fairly well for them. I haven't looked at their financial figures but they seem to be better quality wise and financially than many other state owned carriers.
It would explain why they want a clear geographic split.
And Saudi is a large country. Jeddah is closer to Aman, Tel-Aviv, Cairo, Khartoum and many other cities than it is to Riyadh.
Whilst I understand what you saying with regards to people being uncomfortable transiting Saudi, I do not believe that this will be a huge challenge to Riyadh Air. Remember that much of the world (I believe over a billion people) are Muslim and therefore do not have the level of discomfort that many non-Muslims might have. Many Muslims live in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt and Malaysia which are all significant origin and destination points...
Whilst I understand what you saying with regards to people being uncomfortable transiting Saudi, I do not believe that this will be a huge challenge to Riyadh Air. Remember that much of the world (I believe over a billion people) are Muslim and therefore do not have the level of discomfort that many non-Muslims might have. Many Muslims live in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt and Malaysia which are all significant origin and destination points for all of the ME3. Further, Saudi has a large home market (around 37 million people) and Riyadh as a city has a population of over 7 million. The UAE in comparison has a total population of 10 million of which around 4 million are based in and around Dubai and supports Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai. Therefore, Riyadh Air (and Saudia) already have a large home market that, on its own, could support a large airline.
I agree for a transit passenger, "relaxing restrictions, including around alcohol, clothing, conduct, etc" is what Western propaganda would say.
While it is frowned upon and possibly get some looks, I've never heard of anyone being arrested for clothing during transit. Alcohol shouldn't be a problem since likely if you're transiting you'd be on Saudia. And you'd get arrest for improper conduct pretty much anywhere in the world including MIA.
The country is already very...
I agree for a transit passenger, "relaxing restrictions, including around alcohol, clothing, conduct, etc" is what Western propaganda would say.
While it is frowned upon and possibly get some looks, I've never heard of anyone being arrested for clothing during transit. Alcohol shouldn't be a problem since likely if you're transiting you'd be on Saudia. And you'd get arrest for improper conduct pretty much anywhere in the world including MIA.
The country is already very relaxed compare to before. And with current leadership, expect the country to be even more accepting. Of course it's not going to a 'free' country like USA and don't expect it to be.
Nor should anyone take UAE's loose enforcement as granted that makes many feel comfortable traveling to. "Western compounds" are not safe havens, just people looking the other way.
I think you'd be surprised just how many Muslims consume alcohol...
Also, a billion people is a big amount but not "much of the world".
@Julia -- I agree with you about a lot of Muslims consuming alcohol. Most Westerners fail to understand that there are cultural Muslims and religious Muslims. To an outsider, it can be hard to tell the difference. For example, some alcohol-drinking cultural Muslims will observe Ramadan because most of their peers are doing so.
Agree with you on the statement "much of the world" - my bad, and also know that many Muslims consume alcohol. But also, KSA has traditionally attracted may investors (and investors) from the East including Japan, China, South Korea and India. I suspect that many of these cultures do not share the "Western fear" of Saudi Arabia as they tend to have their own traditions and in turn have learnt to respect and not be fearful of other traditions.