Riyadh Air opens Dubai sales

Riyadh Air has opened ticket sales for daily flights between Dubai and Riyadh from 18 June, adding a new premium operator to one of the Gulf’s busiest business and leisure corridors as Saudi Arabia accelerates plans to turn its capital into a global aviation hub.

Flights will operate between Dubai International Airport and King Khalid International Airport using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, placing wide-body capacity on a route already served heavily by Emirates, flydubai, Saudia, flynas and flyadeal. The Dubai-Riyadh service, operating as RX0244, is scheduled to leave Dubai at 6.30pm and arrive in Riyadh at 7.20pm local time. The Riyadh-Dubai leg, RX0243, is scheduled to depart the Saudi capital at 2.05pm and reach Dubai at 5pm.

Tickets are available through Riyadh Air’s website, mobile app and travel partners, marking a key step in the airline’s transition from controlled launch operations to broader commercial availability. The carrier had earlier used a phased entry model, with London Heathrow positioned as its first international route and Dubai identified as the next major destination in its initial network plan.

The Dubai route is strategically important because it links two of the region’s most active commercial centres. Riyadh is at the centre of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 investment programme, while Dubai remains the Gulf’s dominant aviation, finance, logistics and tourism hub. The route supports corporate travel, government-linked business, tourism, events traffic and family travel across a corridor where demand has remained resilient despite regional airspace disruptions affecting some foreign carriers.

Riyadh Air’s entry will also test the carrier’s ability to compete on service, schedules and brand positioning in a market where travellers already have frequent direct options. The wider Riyadh-Dubai market has more than 250 weekly flights in June, underlining both the scale of existing capacity and the challenge facing a new entrant. Wide-body Dreamliner operations may help Riyadh Air differentiate its product, particularly for premium passengers and travellers connecting onward through Riyadh.

The airline is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and was announced in 2023 as a central element of the kingdom’s aviation strategy. Its stated target is to serve more than 100 destinations by 2030, helping Riyadh become a larger long-haul transfer point and supporting national ambitions to attract 150 million annual visitors by the end of the decade. The plan complements wider airport expansion, tourism development and investment in logistics and hospitality.

Fleet growth is critical to that strategy. Riyadh Air has placed a major order for Boeing 787-9 aircraft and has also moved to build a short- and medium-haul fleet through Airbus A321neo aircraft, giving it a mix of long-range and regional capability. Boeing delivered the airline’s first two 787 Dreamliners in early June, strengthening its ability to begin a broader commercial schedule after months of preparation, route planning and partnership-building.

Dubai is part of a first wave of destinations that also includes London, Jeddah, Cairo, Madrid and Manchester. Jeddah gives the carrier a domestic trunk route with religious, business and leisure demand, while Cairo offers scale and diaspora traffic. Madrid and Manchester extend the network into European markets beyond London, giving Riyadh Air early visibility among business travellers, tourists and Saudi outbound passengers.

The carrier is being led by chief executive Tony Douglas, the former Etihad Airways chief executive, and has positioned itself as a digitally led airline rather than a conventional flag-carrier replica. Its Sfeer loyalty programme, app-based booking tools and premium cabin proposition are being used to build brand recognition before the network reaches scale. Riyadh Air has also signed commercial and strategic agreements with several global airlines, including carriers in Europe, Asia and North America, to support future connectivity.

For Dubai passengers, the new service creates another direct option to Riyadh at a time when the Saudi capital is drawing higher volumes of corporate travel linked to construction, finance, entertainment, technology and consulting. Major projects under Vision 2030, new headquarters rules for regional businesses and expanded events activity have increased travel demand into Riyadh, although hotel capacity, airport processing and schedule reliability will remain important tests as volumes grow.