Riyadh Air advances Heathrow launch date, opens sales to five cities
Dhaka: Saudi Arabian startup carrier Riyadh Air has moved up the launch of its inaugural full-service flight to London Heathrow Airport, now scheduled for June 10, three weeks ahead of the originally planned date of July 1.
The airline cited accelerating aircraft deliveries as the reason for the earlier start. Its third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered HZ-RXAC, arrived at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport on June 6 following a nearly 14-hour ferry flight from Everett Paine Field.
The carrier's first two Dreamliners, registered HZ-RXAA and HZ-RXAB, had arrived in Riyadh a day earlier, on June 5.
Alongside the Heathrow announcement, Riyadh Air opened ticket sales to five additional destinations: Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid, and Manchester. All routes will be operated with the airline's newly delivered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Domestic flights to Jeddah will kick off on June 14, followed by Dubai on June 18 and Cairo on June 25. International services to Madrid and Manchester will commence on July 17 and July 23, respectively.
The Manchester route will operate three times weekly. Outbound flights depart at 8:40 am, arriving in Riyadh at 5:20 pm. Return services leave Riyadh at 1:30 am and land in Manchester at 6:40 am.
"Today is a momentous day for Riyadh Air as we open sales for Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid, and Manchester," CEO Tony Douglas said.
Douglas added that the chosen destinations were "carefully selected to serve key markets" for business, tourism, and trade and are designed to support seamless transit between Europe and destinations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
He said the expansion aligns with the airline's ambition to become a global carrier and a meaningful contributor to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative.
Regarding the Manchester service specifically, the airline highlighted the city's status as a major economic and cultural hub with existing strong ties to the Kingdom.
"This route has been carefully selected to serve a key market for connecting the North of England to the Middle East," Douglas said.
Riyadh Air added that further destinations and ticket sales announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
