Riyadh Air has not messed around with teasing its launch to the global market. Saudi Arabia’s new luxury airline has already debuted its uniform at a Paris fashion show, partnered with Meta for a content creator conference, and graced the Saudi Arabia F1 with the recent unveiling of its new cabin suite.
Unabashedly trying to lure high-net-worth clients for rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways, Riyadh Air showed off the new seats at Jeddah Yacht Club on the 19th of April. The exterior of its business class suites features privacy panels, lie-flat seats, mood lights, and the world’s largest business class screen at 32 inches (available to Business Elite). The aesthetic is a rich purple and gold, designed to resemble the colours and materials of traditional Arabian tents.
Social media users were delighted by the designs, with one describing it as ‘next-level’ luxury.
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Riyadh Air has said it will fly to 100 destinations once it launches later this year. Whilst it was initially due to launch in the first half of this year, it was delayed due to problems at Boeing. Whilst it had expected to receive eight aircraft this year, that number was revised down to four.
Whilst it does plan to fly to Australia eventually, this won’t be until it has established its customer base, so it will likely be in the next few years.
Don’t expect champagne
An area where Riyadh Air differs from its rivals is in its alcohol policy. While Qatar Airways and Emirates both offer wide alcohol selections, CEO Tony Douglas has said that the airline will operate in accordance with Saudi Arabia law which prohibits alcohol.
“At the moment, alcohol is prohibited within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and therefore we will work with that as being the current legislation,” he is quoted as saying.
Notably, Douglas hasn’t said never, and with speculations mounting that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may ease the country’s strict alcohol laws in a bid to attract more tourists, this is something that may change. Last year, Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol shop in more than 70 years. The shop is only open to non-muslim expats.
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