Saudi Arabia presents Riyadh Air

MDC862 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:44 pm

Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

N14AZ · Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:50 pm

NB aircraft? So SV switching from A320 to 737?

ikolkyo · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:10 pm

You should link the article
https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-sove ... s-943c1377

Wasn't Airbus rumored to be selling A350s to RIA?

DaCubbyBearBar · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:12 pm

Ahhh, that would be a win for Boeing. But, for some reason, I expect this will be mostly a WB order to replace older planes…

DCA350 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:17 pm

Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

aviator2000 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:18 pm

N14AZ wrote:
NB aircraft? So SV switching from A320 to 737?

Apparently Saudi Arabia is preparing to launch a new global airline (based in Riyadh) that will operate in a hub manner similar to Emirates in DXB and Qatar in DOH. The airline will also be operating alongside Saudia. I saw a tweet earlier today but can't remember the account's name.

boeing773er · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:36 pm

Interesting this is coming immediately after announcing they were re-establishing political relations with Iran.

micstatic · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:43 pm

no alcohol served by saudi airlines right? Certainly will be tough to compete on long haul like that.

luckyone · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:45 pm

boeing773er wrote:
Interesting this is coming immediately after announcing they were re-establishing political relations with Iran.

Likely more than interesting.

luckyone · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:46 pm

micstatic wrote:
no alcohol served by saudi airlines right? Certainly will be tough to compete on long haul like that.

The biggest issue with a hub-style carrier at RUH is the facility, which is not designed for that operation and there aren’t any public plans to change that anytime soon (possibly a new airport by 2030…built over the current one, but the clock is ticking). That aside, would they make a carve out for this new carrier? Saudia will be the conforming airline for good Saudi Muslims, operate out of JED which is the gateway to Mecca etc etc (even if Riyadh is supposedly the more conservative of the cities) and this new airline will cater to the transit passenger?

FlyHappy · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:48 pm

DCA350 wrote:
Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

The Saudi's aren't dummies.
If you want to influence US policy, being a "paying customer" is far more influential than not being one.

aviator2000 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:58 pm

aviator2000 wrote:
N14AZ wrote:
NB aircraft? So SV switching from A320 to 737?

Apparently Saudi Arabia is preparing to launch a new global airline (based in Riyadh) that will operate in a hub manner similar to Emirates in DXB and Qatar in DOH. The airline will also be operating alongside Saudia. I saw a tweet earlier today but can't remember the account's name.

https://twitter.com/AlexInAir/status/16 ... 7105768448

JohanTally · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:17 pm

DaCubbyBearBar wrote:
Ahhh, that would be a win for Boeing. But, for some reason, I expect this will be mostly a WB order to replace older planes…

This is for the new airline and not replacing existing aircraft.

ShamrockBoi330 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:39 pm

micstatic wrote:
no alcohol served by saudi airlines right? Certainly will be tough to compete on long haul like that.

I remember reading that this will not be the case for the new airline, that they will have to cater to the West if they truly want to realise the hub model and copy Qatar/Emirates.

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2022 ... 2-reports/

From the above article....

Unlike the existing flag carrier, Saudia, the new airline will serve alcohol and won’t have a strict dress code that previously banned men from wearing shorts. Saudia will continue to exist, however, and will be based out of Jeddah serving mainly Umrah pilgrimage passengers.

So looks like Saudia for traditional, new airline for Westerners /hub model.

su184 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:47 pm

I assume there will be an Airbus order following soon, they don’t put their eggs in one basket

MileHFL400 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:49 pm

So i dont have WSJ access, but it seems like an announcement will come on sunday, as in tomorrow?

Also no order breakdown as far as i can see, but any mention of the 777X?

YouGeeElWhy · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:50 pm

MDC862 wrote:
Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

ShamrockBoi330 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:55 pm

YouGeeElWhy wrote:
MDC862 wrote:
Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count!

tomcat · Sat Mar 11, 2023 9:00 pm

MileHFL400 wrote:
So i dont have WSJ access, but it seems like an announcement will come on sunday, as in tomorrow?

Also no order breakdown as far as i can see, but any mention of the 777X?

In the reports from last October about a possible order for the A350, it was actually mentioned that they were leaning towards the 787. It doesn't mean that the order would exclude the 777X though.

A source told Reuters that the kingdom was believed to be drawn towards Boeings 787 'Dreamliner.' However, mounting political tensions between the Gulf country and the United States could sway any decision.

https://airwaysmag.com/saudi-start-up-aircraft-order/

YouGeeElWhy · Sat Mar 11, 2023 9:32 pm

ShamrockBoi330 wrote:
YouGeeElWhy wrote:
MDC862 wrote:
Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count!

From the article, which I assume you did not read.

The aircraft order is expected to create close to 100,000 jobs in the United States, according to some of the people involved in the deal.

JohanTally · Sat Mar 11, 2023 9:33 pm

micstatic wrote:
no alcohol served by saudi airlines right? Certainly will be tough to compete on long haul like that.

This new airline will be full service to compete with EY, EK, and QR. It's already been announced that they will serve alcohol.

"Unlike the existing flag carrier, Saudia, the new airline will serve alcohol and won’t have a strict dress code that previously banned men from wearing shorts."

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2022 ... 2-reports/

behramjee · Sat Mar 11, 2023 10:37 pm

MileHFL400 wrote:
So i dont have WSJ access, but it seems like an announcement will come on sunday, as in tomorrow?

Also no order breakdown as far as i can see, but any mention of the 777X?

hopefully no mention of the B77X...better to stick with Max8 and Max10 followed with B789 and B781 (if there are no Airbus planes involved)

Max 8 - a standard dual class for domestic + MENA region + ISC where B787 is too big (such as MUX SKT LKO AMD BLR HYD)

Max 9 - solely in premium cabin (just like FZ with 16J flat beds + 156Y) to be used on EU premium routes which cannot support year round WB like GVA/ZRH/FCO/MXP/MUC/FRA/MAD/BRU

Max 10 - for high density regional + selective ISC where WB isnt required (HBE KHI PEW CCJ TRV CNN MAA)

B781 - high density dual class cabin for volumetric routes i.e. CAI BOM ISB LHE DAC MNL COK CGK KUL BKK etc

B789 for flagship routes to LHR CDG IAD JFK ICN NRT PKX SIN etc

edealinfo · Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:00 pm

behramjee wrote:
MileHFL400 wrote:
So i dont have WSJ access, but it seems like an announcement will come on sunday, as in tomorrow?

Also no order breakdown as far as i can see, but any mention of the 777X?

hopefully no mention of the B77X...better to stick with Max8 and Max10 followed with B789 and B781 (if there are no Airbus planes involved)

Max 8 - a standard dual class for domestic + MENA region + ISC where B787 is too big (such as MUX SKT LKO AMD BLR HYD)

Max 9 - solely in premium cabin (just like FZ with 16J flat beds + 156Y) to be used on EU premium routes which cannot support year round WB like GVA/ZRH/FCO/MXP/MUC/FRA/MAD/BRU

Max 10 - for high density regional + selective ISC where WB isnt required (HBE KHI PEW CCJ TRV CNN MAA)

B781 - high density dual class cabin for volumetric routes i.e. CAI BOM ISB LHE DAC MNL COK CGK KUL BKK etc

B789 for flagship routes to LHR CDG IAD JFK ICN NRT PKX SIN etc

1. You have listed a whole bunch of cities in India
2. What portion of the Saudi's bilateral rights with India is utilized.
3. If its a high % in #2, what makes you think India will expand it, when they haven't done that for Qatar and Emirates which have bene trying for years.

ShamrockBoi330 · Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:14 pm

YouGeeElWhy wrote:
ShamrockBoi330 wrote:
YouGeeElWhy wrote:
How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count!

From the article, which I assume you did not read.
The aircraft order is expected to create close to 100,000 jobs in the United States, according to some of the people involved in the deal.

Would that be a quote from behind the paywall?
Thanks for sharing :white:

behramjee · Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:23 pm

edealinfo wrote:
behramjee wrote:
MileHFL400 wrote:
So i dont have WSJ access, but it seems like an announcement will come on sunday, as in tomorrow?

Also no order breakdown as far as i can see, but any mention of the 777X?

hopefully no mention of the B77X...better to stick with Max8 and Max10 followed with B789 and B781 (if there are no Airbus planes involved)

Max 8 - a standard dual class for domestic + MENA region + ISC where B787 is too big (such as MUX SKT LKO AMD BLR HYD)

Max 9 - solely in premium cabin (just like FZ with 16J flat beds + 156Y) to be used on EU premium routes which cannot support year round WB like GVA/ZRH/FCO/MXP/MUC/FRA/MAD/BRU

Max 10 - for high density regional + selective ISC where WB isnt required (HBE KHI PEW CCJ TRV CNN MAA)

B781 - high density dual class cabin for volumetric routes i.e. CAI BOM ISB LHE DAC MNL COK CGK KUL BKK etc

B789 for flagship routes to LHR CDG IAD JFK ICN NRT PKX SIN etc

1. You have listed a whole bunch of cities in India
2. What portion of the Saudi's bilateral rights with India is utilized.
3. If its a high % in #2, what makes you think India will expand it, when they haven't done that for Qatar and Emirates which have bene trying for years.

RIA is expected to get the entire SV bilaterals quota for all routes from RUH whilst SV will get all of JED. I expect also RIA to get the attractive morning RUH-LHR-RUH slot whilst SV will keep the existing JED-LHR-JED slot timings.

Also fyi Im not mistaken, India expanded KSA bilaterals twice in 2016 and 2019. It now stands at 28,000 seats per week from RUH/JED whilst DMM is open skies.
Link: https://www.anna.aero/2019/11/21/saudi- ... kly-seats/

kjeld0d · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:25 am

ShamrockBoi330 wrote:
YouGeeElWhy wrote:
MDC862 wrote:
Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count!

Creating a new airline does not create new customers. Obviously, they are planning to take market share from other carriers. So what they're really saying is they will take 100,000 jobs from airlines and airports in other countries.

MIflyer12 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:49 am

FlyHappy wrote:
DCA350 wrote:
Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

The Saudi's aren't dummies.
If you want to influence US policy, being a "paying customer" is far more influential than not being one.

You don't influence U.S. foreign policy by buying Boeing widebodies. There isn't enough money in it, nor U.S. jobs.

A one-time purchase of fifty 787s may be good for $10 Billion to Boeing. In an economy with a GDP of $26 Trillion in 2022.

An extra 2 million barrels of Saudi oil pumped a day is $58 Billion annually to the Kingdom, and saves U.S., European, and Japanese consumers a lot as it pushes down world oil and products prices.

strfyr51 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:41 am

ShamrockBoi330 wrote:
YouGeeElWhy wrote:
MDC862 wrote:
Just coming across the WSJ wires, that the new Saudi order will be valued at $35B and create 100,000 jobs. Also reporting order will be a mixture of WB and NB aircraft.

No breakdown or delivery dates and could be formally announced as soon as tomorrow.

How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count![/quote
with 100k jobs they might be as big as B6 or UA in that range though I doubt they'll all be in Saudi Arabia alone.

Caymanair · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:53 am

kjeld0d wrote:
ShamrockBoi330 wrote:
YouGeeElWhy wrote:
How does this order create 100k jobs? Maybe someone’s cat typed some extra zeros.

Airport, handling, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance, catering, back office, general economy... how is this any different to Ryanair saying they are creating X amount of new jobs with a new base with 5 planes? This is a whole entire new airline that is not going to be small by any count!

Creating a new airline does not create new customers. Obviously, they are planning to take market share from other carriers. So what they're really saying is they will take 100,000 jobs from airlines and airports in other countries.

There are 2000 airplanes worth of orders made or planned down the pipeline that are banking on a hell of a lot of new customers, primarily from the Indian subcontinent.

RIA, Qatar, Emirates, Ethiad, Air India, Wizz, IndiGo, SpiceJet and many others are banking on it.

gatibosgru · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:55 am

Hardly a shocking order coming from Saudi Arabia, but nice to see nonetheless!

SaintBroseph · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:57 am

MIflyer12 wrote:
FlyHappy wrote:
DCA350 wrote:
Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

The Saudi's aren't dummies.
If you want to influence US policy, being a "paying customer" is far more influential than not being one.

You don't influence U.S. foreign policy by buying Boeing widebodies. There isn't enough money in it, nor U.S. jobs.

A one-time purchase of fifty 787s may be good for $10 Billion to Boeing. In an economy with a GDP of $26 Trillion in 2022.

An extra 2 million barrels of Saudi oil pumped a day is $58 Billion annually to the Kingdom, and saves U.S., European, and Japanese consumers a lot as it pushes down world oil and products prices.

Read up on Air India's original order in 2006. Reading between the lines, it appears that the Boeing order was placed with the tacit approval of the then PM as a quid pro quo for waiver of NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) action against India by the US Congress.

sxf24 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:10 am

MIflyer12 wrote:
FlyHappy wrote:
DCA350 wrote:
Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

The Saudi's aren't dummies.
If you want to influence US policy, being a "paying customer" is far more influential than not being one.

You don't influence U.S. foreign policy by buying Boeing widebodies. There isn't enough money in it, nor U.S. jobs.

A one-time purchase of fifty 787s may be good for $10 Billion to Boeing. In an economy with a GDP of $26 Trillion in 2022.

An extra 2 million barrels of Saudi oil pumped a day is $58 Billion annually to the Kingdom, and saves U.S., European, and Japanese consumers a lot as it pushes down world oil and products prices.

Boeing orders are of significant interest to the US government, just as Airbus’ are to its home market countries. Boeing is the largest exporter for the U.S. and supports many highly paid manufacturing jobs and thousands of suppliers.

edealinfo · Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:48 am

My guess is that RIA will need the aircraft ASAP, which begs the question where will it come from given that the earliest they can get 787s is 2025? Will Boeing include 787 white tails and if so how many of them are there? Also, given the large # of 737 aircraft yet to be delivered to Chinese carriers, will the deal include some of those as well? I wouldn't be surprised about a 777X order since conceivably that could delivered as early as 2025 and used for LAX, JFK, IAD and LHR?

ikolkyo · Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:01 am

edealinfo wrote:
My guess is that RIA will need the aircraft ASAP, which begs the question where will it come from given that the earliest they can get 787s is 2025? Will Boeing include 787 white tails and if so how many of them are there? Also, given the large # of 737 aircraft yet to be delivered to Chinese carriers, will the deal include some of those as well? I wouldn't be surprised about a 777X order since conceivably that could delivered as early as 2025 and used for LAX, JFK, IAD and LHR?

Last we heard Boeing slowed down on giving up the Chinese aircraft, we'll have to see if that stays true.

N1120A · Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:04 am

Creating 100K jobs is a hilarious lie and merely propaganda. It's a good win for Boeing though.

FlyHappy · Sun Mar 12, 2023 7:44 am

MIflyer12 wrote:
FlyHappy wrote:
DCA350 wrote:
Wow looks like Boeing poached the order.. Impressive considering US and Saudi relations haven't been the best..

The Saudi's aren't dummies.
If you want to influence US policy, being a "paying customer" is far more influential than not being one.

You don't influence U.S. foreign policy by buying Boeing widebodies. There isn't enough money in it, nor U.S. jobs.

A one-time purchase of fifty 787s may be good for $10 Billion to Boeing. In an economy with a GDP of $26 Trillion in 2022.

An extra 2 million barrels of Saudi oil pumped a day is $58 Billion annually to the Kingdom, and saves U.S., European, and Japanese consumers a lot as it pushes down world oil and products prices.

You misunderstand.
Has nothing to do with relative value to the US economy as a whole. It has to do with "political capital". Its foolish to think that KSA doesn't have special sway with the US Govt, and their ability to influence oil markets is only part of it. KSA very much values the support of US Legislators when it comes to things like required Congressional approvals for defense purposes and such. US Congresspersons and State Governers are particularly sensitive to export markets.
Are they buying Boeing solely to "influence" the US Govt - of course not. But my point is that superficial tension like current events suggest doesn't change the Saudi leaderships fundemental desire to keep Uncle Sam in its corner.

behramjee · Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:17 am

It’s 1215pm now in KSA and still no news of an order being announced

Heavierthanair · Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:49 am

From reading all posts above it appears nothing firm has been decided yet. The Boeing deal seems to be at the same rumor level as the A350 order posted here a few months ago.

With this new airline being wholly state owned of course politics come into play. This is not about the features / advantages of one or the other aircraft. This is not Airbus vs. Boeing, this is the USA vs. the EU.

A deal may include all kinds of commercial items like landing rights, but more important is the supply of advanced weaponry, which thus far has been limited or not been freely available to the Saudies. They may be talking with the Iranians again but that does not mean they will become friends overnight. Iran has just ordered Russian Sukhoi 35 fighters, an extremely capable late technology fighter (albeit not stealthy) and I doubt this is intended to be used against women in the country demonstrating against having to wear headscarfs. So the Saudies need something like F35's and the latest air defense systems to counter those. Also the Saudies may need more help leveraging against further increasing Iranian influence in the area - just some areas where the EU has not much to offer. So despite the funds involved for the deal being relatively small in perspective the selection is nevertheless strongly political.

At the end we may also see a split deal making all happy :bigthumbsup:

aviator2000 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:04 pm

Saudi Arabia has presented to the press Riyadh Air. The new airline will be based in Riyadh and will operate to over 100 destinations worldwide. Also worth noting that the CEO of the new company will be former Etihad CEO, Tony Douglas.

"The new carrier will be called ‘Riyadh Air,’ and aims to improve connectivity between the Kingdom and the three continents it straddles: Asia, Europe, and Africa."

Basically the plan is to replicate the EK/QR/EY/TK business model.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saud ... al-airline

luckyone · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:44 pm

A rather unimaginative name. For all the money they likely threw at this, and their goal of being a connecting carrier, I would’ve expected something more imaginative and evocative, playing on Arabian culture or a palace. The name they provided…evokes the seat of the Saudi government and little else to the.

xwb777 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:49 pm

I think the logo needs some tweaking.

Boeing757100 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:57 pm

This is what the large Boeing order is likely to be, right?

Spiderguy252 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:00 pm

20 years late to the Middle East super connector party - let's see what happens.

SCQ83 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:07 pm

luckyone wrote:
A rather unimaginative name. For all the money they likely threw at this, and their goal of being a connecting carrier, I would’ve expected something more imaginative and evocative, playing on Arabian culture or a palace. The name they provided…evokes the seat of the Saudi government and little else to the.

I agree it is a dull name however the Saudi government wants to promote Riyadh as a global financial hub and the economic capital of the Arabian peninsula. I also feel Riyadh is one of those cases where the capital city is not that well known (arguably Saudi Arabia, Makkah and Madinah are much more well known names).

Naming it something Arab like Etihad would not necessarily link it to Riyadh. So this is unimaginative but effective. Someone sitting on LHR or JFK will see "Riyadh Air" in the departures panel and make the connection.

behramjee · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:28 pm

Boeing757100 wrote:
This is what the large Boeing order is likely to be, right?

thats correct but no order announced so far unfortunately !

luckyone · Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:42 pm

SCQ83 wrote:
luckyone wrote:
A rather unimaginative name. For all the money they likely threw at this, and their goal of being a connecting carrier, I would’ve expected something more imaginative and evocative, playing on Arabian culture or a palace. The name they provided…evokes the seat of the Saudi government and little else to the.

I agree it is a dull name however the Saudi government wants to promote Riyadh as a global financial hub and the economic capital of the Arabian peninsula. I also feel Riyadh is one of those cases where the capital city is not that well known (arguably Saudi Arabia, Makkah and Madinah are much more well known names).

Naming it something Arab like Etihad would not necessarily link it to Riyadh. So this is unimaginative but effective. Someone sitting on LHR or JFK will see "Riyadh Air" in the departures panel and make the connection.

Yeah it’ll be interesting to see whether their vision for Riyadh is successful. Looks like they basically want to be Dubai, but put it in a city that serves as the seat of one of the most…socially-conservatively oriented governments on the planet. The allure of Dubai to the region was the government’s willingness to relax some of the more disliked conservative policies of the governments around it, making it what Tehran or Jeddah would have been in a less strict country. And they’re launching it right at the time of an anticipated recession, and we saw how that played out with Dubai’s grand plans. KSA’s employment laws/culture will be even more interesting to watch — they have a ton of young people that need employment but aren’t inclined to do work associated with foreign help, and what they’re trying to do will require a lot of those type workers to support it all at a time when they’re also cracking down on foreign workers. Guess we shall see.

TC957 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:23 pm

Fascinating to see in future years how this will play out. Personally, I think connecting flights at RUH will be a tougher sell for the average Brit than via the existing hubs of the ME3 or TK.

PB26 · Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:45 pm

I think there isn't room for another EK or QR. Etihad tried and failed, besides the equity-alliance helped to drain the cash.

Maybe the company will be a sizeable carrier like Etihad or even Saudia.

LCDFlight · Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:57 pm

Will they serve alcohol??

Galwayman · Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:59 pm

Great news, the more new airlines the better. If Qatar can do it, it will be child’s play for the Saudis . Wish them ever success …

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