Saudi Crown Prince MBS Announces the Creation of Riyadh Air
Posted on 03/13/2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the establishment of “Riyadh Air,” a PIF wholly-owned company. The new national carrier will leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Riyadh will be the company’s operational hub. According to the PIF, the airline is expected to add US$ 20 billion to non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The new national airline represents PIF’s latest investment in the sector, along with the recently announced King Salman International Airport masterplan.
Riyadh Air also revealed its first fleet order of 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplanes. The 787-9 Dreamliner is a wide-body, long-range commercial airplane developed by Boeing as part of its 787 family of aircraft. It is a stretched version of the original 787-8 Dreamliner, with a length of 206 feet and the capacity to carry up to 290 passengers. The airplane has a maximum range of approximately 7,635 nautical miles and can cruise at a speed of Mach 0.85 (about 561 mph or 903 km/h). It is used by a number of airlines around the world, including Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qantas, and United Airlines.
Saudia
Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, was once the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline’s main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Saudi Arabian Airlines was formed in September 1945 as a fully owned government agency under the control of the Ministry of Defense, with TWA (Trans World Airlines) running the airline under a management contract. In April 2016, Saudia announced the creation of a low-cost subsidiary, Flyadeal.
The largest and busiest airports in Saudi Arabia include King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. These airports handle a significant amount of air traffic and serve as major transportation hubs for the region.