A NEW airline has operated its first flight to London Heathrow.
On October 26, new airline Riyadh Air operated the flight to London Heathrow Airport.
This flight was the first of the airline’s daily launch flights between Riyadh and London Heathrow, which are being used to ensure they are ready to operate for the public.
Once it fully launches, the new airline will be based at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Flights to London Heathrow will depart Riyadh at 3:15am and arrive in London at 7:30am.
The return flight will then depart London at 9:30am and arrive in Riyadh at 7:15pm.
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The new airline is hoping to fly to 100 destinations by 2030, as part of the Saudi Aviation Strategy and the National Tourism Strategy.
The airline stated: “Further exciting new routes are set to be announced in the coming weeks for winter 2025 and summer 2026.”
The airline’s CEO Tony Douglas said earlier this year: “We’re not going public with the full list until we’ve got all the slots.
“But Western Europe is essential.”
The aircraft used for the first flight, named ‘Jamila’, is a Boeing 787-9 technical spare aircraft and only employees and invited guests were on the flight.
The airline is still awaiting its first deliveries from Boeing, having ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in February, with options to add another 33 in the future.
Also earlier this year, the airline revealed the interior of its business class suites.
Inside its ‘Business Elite’ cabins, passengers will find speakers built into the headrest of their chair, which can also be turned into a double bed.
The cabins will be arranged in a 1-2-1 layout on board the plane, with the airline saying that they will compare to those found in Emirates’ first class.
If you are in one of the middle two cabins, and know the person next to you, you can always change it into a double bed.
As for entertainment, passengers can watch films and series on a 31-inch screen – which is set to be the biggest in business class, on any airline.
Of course there will be multiple USB ports, power outlets and wireless charging pads as well for charging devices.
Cabins will also have sliding doors for privacy.
On the other hand, premium economy will be “more like business” class, but it won’t feature lie-flat seats.
In economy, passengers will then have 13.3 inch screens and USB-C charging ports.
The airline is expected to be super high tech as well, with the possibility of biometric scans instead of boarding passes.
However, passengers shouldn’t expect to get any alcohol onboard, as Saudi Arabia has strict laws on booze which mean it’s been banned since 1952.
The airline also recently announced its loyalty programme called ‘Sfeer’.
Sfeer members will be able to share points within the community, which will allow family and friends to increase their membership levels, as well as their benefits.
The loyalty programme will be fully active in 2026, and will also include gamified features such as challenges and leaderboard competitions.
The points will never expire and can be used to get special culinary and entertainment experiences, as well as opportunities to win free flights and other prizes.
In other airline news, a UK airline is on the brink of administration and could close in days – affecting 1.3million passengers.
Plus, TUI has axed its own flights to popular destinations from a major UK airport.