Riyadh Air (RXI, Riyadh) is in the final stages of securing its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), CEO Tony Douglas said during the Routes World 2024 conference in Bahrain.
“We’re into route-proving flights at the moment. We’re days away from completing that process. We’ll have an AOC by the end of the year,” he said while confirming that the carrier's initial network plans will be unveiled in early 2025.
Due to ongoing delivery delays of its thirty-nine B787-9s due from Boeing (BOE, Washington National), Riyadh Air has had to revise its plans three times, Douglas said. “Delivery delays are an ever-present threat,” Douglas noted, but the airline remains committed to serving 100 destinations within its first five years of operation.
While Riyadh Air has not disclosed details about its order for an undisclosed number of narrowbody aircraft, Douglas stated it will be announced soon and is “roughly equivalent in scale” to the widebody order. The carrier aims to begin single-aisle operations within a year of launching.
Additionally, Riyadh Air has initiated a campaign to acquire larger widebody planes, though Douglas did not provide further details. However, the airline's chief financial officer, Adam Boukadida, told ch-aviation earlier this year that the company had issued a request for proposals for ultra-widebodies like the B777 or A350-1000.
Riyadh Air confirmed its commitment to launching its first revenue flight in the first half of 2025.
