Riyadh Air is the highly ambitious airline based in the capital of Saudi Arabia. This carrier’s creation is, in part, to help achieve the country’s Vision 2030 project. While the ‘official’ first flight, which can be booked by the public, remains upcoming, plans for its wider network continue afoot.

Based on IATA slot seasons, airline schedules have two seasons: winter and summer. In 2026, summer runs from March 29—not far away—to October 24. Riyadh is one of dozens of airports worldwide to have its slots allocated by Airport Coordination Limited. Riyadh Air has submitted its initial network, as appears in the airport’s start of the season report. But this does not mean routes will begin. While it indicates intention, it is effectively guidance.

Riyadh Air Plans 15 Routes (For Now)

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Aeroroutes was the first publication to report on the airline’s disclosure, with the 15 markets highlighted above. As the airline’s CEO stated in 2024, “there won’t be any surprises network-wise.” As that quote is from article that it very old, the formatting, etc., is quite different from what Simple Flying has now.

Riyadh Air has flown daily to London Heathrow since late October, but it does not carry regular passengers. This is because of the so-called use-it-or-lose-it slot rule. Slots, which were given by British Airways via the bmi slot release procedure, must be used at least 80% of the time. Flights will be bookable in the normal way soon.

Riyadh Air had already disclosed that Cairo and Dubai would be part of its network. The carrier is building its network based, in part, on significant indirect traffic flows. This traffic source will be a critical part of its operation, just like it is for Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. Its substantial fleet on order—for Airbus A321neos, A350-1000s, and Boeing 787-9s—will facilitate this. Like the other carriers, it’ll build a huge network across South Asia, in particular.

When writing, none of the usual details—start dates, frequencies, aircraft, etc.—are known yet. For now, at least, it is just a form of speculation, although I am entirely convinced that all of these routes will begin. But it remains to be seen if that’s in the upcoming summer season. Time is very much ticking.

Many Of The Markets Are Wildly Popular From Riyadh

Credit: ACL

Many of the routes are massively popular local markets from Riyadh. This is critical for a hub operator, as point-to-point traffic is higher-yielding than connecting passengers. It is always sensible for a good proportion of an airline’s passengers to be local, as it helps to offset the lower yields of those who transit.

However, many of them, including those in South Asia and Southeast Asia, are mainly based on diaspora and visiting friends and relative traffic, which is the lowest of the lowest for yields. Riyadh Air is keen on them because of the sheer traffic volume, which will be essential to consistently filling its aircraft.

For example, booking data for 2025 shows that around 600,000 round-trip passengers flew between the Saudi capital and Islamabad. Manila had 510,000 passengers (Cebu Pacific just became the third carrier on this route), Lahore had 375,000, Mumbai had 267,000, Jakarta had 149,000, and Bangkok had 141,000. Of course, all the others are very well-trafficked too, especially Cairo (2.3 million) and Dubai (2.2 million).

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Some 12 Of The 15 Markets Are Already Served

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Thirteen of the 15 disclosed destinations would have head-to-head competition with at least one other airline. In most cases, such as Amman, Cairo, Dubai, Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, London Heathrow, Manila, and Mumbai, multiple airlines already operate.

For example, seven airlines serve Riyadh-Lahore, while even more fly to/from Cairo. They include Saudia, which Cirium Diio data shows is present in all 12 markets that are already served. It’ll be interesting to see if it pulls out when Riyadh Air flights begin. Saudia’s routes include Kuala Lumpur, although flights are only scheduled in July/August 2026. Riyadh Air would, of course, have regular service.

The only markets that are currently unserved are Jakarta (last served in 2025), Madrid (last served in 2022; this destination was mentioned two years ago), and Manchester (apparently had some flights in 2017, but this is unconfirmed). The development of Riyadh Air’s hub will be critical in filling Madrid and Manchester flights.