Riyadh Air Takes Flight With London Soft Launch

Riyadh Air has taken flight! Well, somewhat.

Based at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Air aims to join the ranks of other prestigious Gulf carriers. With a planned fleet of 125 aircraft, the Saudi Arabian carrier has long term plans of operating to over 100 destinations across six continents.

The airline has placed an order for 60 Airbus A321neos, 25 Airbus A350-1000s and 40 Boeing 787-9s. So far, they have one 787 in its fleet, which they are leasing from Oman Air. Previously flying as A4O-SD, the Dreamliner was re-registered as HZ-RXX and is serving Riyadh Air as a technical aircraft until they take delivery of their first purpose-built unit.

On October 27, 2025, Riyadh Air soft-launched service to London Heathrow (LHR) with a number of company and Public Investment Fund (PIF) employees. As the aircraft is still being used for training and certification purposes, the flight was conducted solely to maintain the required 80% utilization needed to keep their slot at Heathrow. The first flight departed Riyadh at 3:32 a.m. local time, arriving in London six hours and 47 minutes later at 7:18 a.m. local.

For now, flights are still not publicly available, with this route being serviced by staff members until they take on their first custom-configured 787 due in the very near future.

It’s not exactly the glitzy and glamorous launch the airline would have hoped for, but given the delays the carrier faces with Boeing, it was a technical requirement that had to be met. So far, one 787 is in final testing stages wearing its full royal purple livery, using temporary registration N8572C. It’s second unit is nearing the end of the production line, with the expectation that four 787s can join Riyadh Air’s fleet by the end of 2025.

Once their first real 787 joins the fleet, the technical aircraft will then be swapped to flights between Riyadh and Dubai (DXB), while the London route will be served with their own metal.

Over time, the airline will expand to other European and Asian destinations as more units are delivered. During the testing phase, HZ-RXX was very busy, conducting trail runs to Paris, Istanbul, Cairo, Mumbai, Athens, Dubai, and a number of cities within Saudi Arabia.

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