Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: The Saudi Flagship airline, Riyadh Air, is planning to operate its first flight by 2025, aiming at connecting to more than 100 destinations by 2030.

Riyadh Air, which was announced to be the Kingdom’s second national carrier, will focus on carrying passengers to and from Saudi Arabia, the CEO, Tony Douglas, told Financial Times, adding that Saudi Arabia is emerging as a tourism hub.

He stressed that the airline will offer “absolutely obsessional attention to detail” about the “guest experience” on board, adding: “For many international guests in the future, the first impression they’ll get is at 38,000 feet with Riyadh Air.”

Speaking about other competitors, Douglas noted that regional airlines such as Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have grown by offering connecting flights through their airports, adding: “If we look at our closest neighbor, Qatar, obviously Qatar Airways has an incredible international network, global reach, and a population of give or take 2 million people.”

The CEO pointed out that the aerospace industry has struggled to cater to the demand rise after the pandemic. 

Aligning with the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the Kingdom unveiled Riyadh Air to be its second national carrier to cope with the Kingdom’s rapid transformation into a global tourist destination.

The National Tourism Strategy of Saudi Arabia targets increasing the contribution of tourism sector in the national GDP to more than 10%.