Following the delivery of not one, but three Boeing 787-9s Dreamliners, Riyadh Air is wasting no time, announcing ticket sales for five more routes following its London announcement.

What is even more interesting is that its inaugural public London flight has been brought up from July 1, 2026 to June 10, 2026. Now that the carrier has three of its own Boeing 787s in its fleet, they have added five more destination, that being Jeddah (JED), Dubai (DXB), Cairo (CAI), Madrid (MAD) and Manchester (MAN).

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Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, stated, “Today is a momentous day for Riyadh Air as we open sales for Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid, and Manchester. Following the arrival of our first three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, this is a major step in our journey to connect Riyadh to the world. But this is just the beginning of our rapid expansion; in the coming weeks we will also be announcing the opening of ticket sales to many more exciting destinations.

“These routes have been carefully selected to serve key markets for business, tourism, and trade, and are designed to facilitate seamless transit for travelers from Europe to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and beyond, aligning with our ambition to become a global airline and a significant contributor to Vision 2030. We look forward to welcoming our guests aboard to experience our distinctive Saudi hospitality as we connect these great cities and continue to redefine the future of air travel.”

The flights will be introduced over the next few weeks as follows:

Flight NumberOriginDeparture TimeDestinationArrival TimeFrequency
RX331Riyadh (RUH)4:10 p.m.Cairo (CAI)6:55 p.m.Daily
Starts June 25, 2026
RX332Cairo (CAI)8:25 p.m.Riyadh (RUH)11:00 p.m.Daily
Starts June 25, 2026
RX243Riyadh (RUH)2:05 p.m.Dubai (DXB)5:00 p.m.Daily
Starts June 18, 2025
RX244Dubai (DXB)6:30 p.m.Riyadh (RUH)7:20 p.m.Daily
Starts June 18, 2025
RX009Riyadh (RUH)7:05 a.m.Jeddah (JED)8:55 a.m.Daily
Starts Jun 14, 2026
RX011Riyadh (RUH)9:00 a.m.Jeddah (JED)10:50 a.m.Daily
Starts Jun 14, 2026
RX017Riyadh (RUH)12:45 p.m.Jeddah (JED)2:35 p.m.Daily
Start Jun 18, 2026
RX027Riyadh (RUH)7:40 p.m.Jeddah (JED)9:30 p.m.Daily
Starts July 2, 2026
RX010Jeddah (JED)10:10 a.m.Riyadh (RUH)11:55 a.m.Daily
Starts Jun 14, 2026
RX012Jeddah (JED)12:05 p.m.Riyadh (RUH)1:50 p.m.Daily
Starts Jun 14, 2026
RX018Jeddah (JED)3:50 p.m.Riyadh (RUH)5:35 p.m.Daily
Start Jun 18, 2026
RX028Jeddah (JED)10:45 p.m.Riyadh (RUH)12:30 a.m. +1Daily
Starts July 2, 2026
RX401Riyadh (RUH)2:35 a.m.London Heathrow (LHR)7:30 a.m.Daily
Starts Jun 10, 2026
RX402London Heathrow (LHR)9:35 a.m.Riyadh (RUH)6:05 p.m.Daily
Starts Jun 10, 2026
RX531Riyadh (RUH)2:00 a.m.Madrid (MAD)7:55 a.m.Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Starts Jul 17, 2026
RX532Madrid (MAD)10:05 a.m.Riyadh (RUH)5:20 p.m.Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Starts Jul 17, 2026
RX417Riyadh (RUH)1:30 a.m.Manchester (MAN)6:40 a.m.Tue, Thu, Sat
Starts Jul 23, 2026
RX418Manchester (MAN)8:40 a.m.Riyadh (RUH)5:20 p.m.Tue, Thu, Sat
Starts Jul 23, 2026

Riyadh Air expects delivery of 36 more Dreamliners, two more of which are in the testing stages at Boeing’s Everett factory. Their Boeing 787-9s will have four cabins: Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Business Elite and Business use a fully flat 1-2-1 layout, while Premium Economy is arranged 2-3-2 and Economy is 3-3-3. All seats include Bluetooth audio and physical audio jacks. Business cabins add AC power, USB-C and USB-A charging, and headrest audio; Premium Economy includes privacy headrest wings, extra storage, expandable surfaces, and four USB-C ports; Economy includes adjustable headrests and two USB-C ports.

riyadh air cabin 01

The aircraft will use Panasonic Avionics’ Astrova in-flight entertainment system. Riyadh Air says the content library will include more than 500 movies, 600 TV series, and 1,000 audio albums and playlists, with programming from partners including Shahid, Disney+, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. The system supports Bluetooth audio, USB-C charging, mobile-first connectivity, and higher-resolution seatback screens.

Besides their 787s, they also have firm orders for 60 Airbus A321neos and 25 Airbus A350-1000s. I suspect once the next two 787s (HZ-RXAD and HZ-RXAE) are delivered, we’ll see even more new routes being unveiled. Based on other sources and filings, the Saudi carrier should launch flights to cities including Paris, Amman, Islamabad, Lahore, Mumbai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Manila.

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