Riyadh Air opens public sales for London flights ahead of Boeing 787 Dreamliner launch

Riyadh Air has officially opened public ticket sales for its flagship Riyadh–London route, which will become the launch platform for the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet from 1 July 2026.

The daily service will operate between King Khalid International Airport and Heathrow Airport, strengthening Riyadh Air’s ambition to position Saudi Arabia as a major global aviation hub under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy.

New aircraft and premium onboard experience

From July, all flights on the route will transition to Riyadh Air’s newly delivered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, replacing the temporary operational-readiness flights previously operated using the airline’s spare aircraft “Jamila”.

The new aircraft will feature four cabin classes:

• Business Elite
• Business
• Premium Economy
• Economy

The airline emphasised a premium passenger experience across all cabins, including:

• Bluetooth audio connectivity,
• Panasonic Astrova in-flight entertainment,
• fully flat beds in premium cabins,
• USB-C charging throughout the aircraft,
• and enhanced ergonomic seating.

The entertainment system will offer access to content from platforms including Disney+, HBO Max and Shahid.

Saudi hospitality and loyalty strategy

Riyadh Air also highlighted its Saudi-inspired onboard hospitality concept, including Kayanee wellness products, luxury bedding and customised amenity kits.

The airline’s new loyalty programme, Sfeer, is being positioned as a central part of the customer strategy. Founding members will receive benefits including:

• free onboard Wi-Fi,
• “Best Offer Guarantee” pricing,
• non-expiring points,
• and priority access to future route launches.

Strategic importance of London route

CEO Tony Douglas described the London launch as a major milestone for the airline and a cornerstone of its UK expansion strategy.

The route connects two G20 capitals and is intended to support:

• business and investment flows between Saudi Arabia and the UK,
• tourism growth in both directions,
• and onward connectivity through Riyadh to destinations including Jeddah, Cairo and Dubai, with additional routes expected to be announced soon.

Riyadh Air has already been operating daily services to Heathrow Terminal 4 since October 2025 as part of its operational readiness programme, but the July 2026 launch marks the beginning of full commercial operations using its permanent long-haul fleet.