Riyadh Air, a new Saudi Arabian airline, made its inaugural passenger flight on 26 October 2025.
Flight RX 401 was from Riyadh King Khalid International to London Heathrow using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registration HZ-RXX.
It was a bit of an oddity for an inaugural as there were no commercial passengers and the aircraft is temporarily leased.
Everyone on board was a Riyadh Air employee, staff from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), invited partners and guests.
The flight was actually part of the airline’s preparation for commercial flights.
The 787-9 is a temporary lease from Oman Air. Riyadh Air doesn’t yet have any aircraft of its own. It will use the leased aircraft until it receives its own brand-new 787s.
No flights are currently bookable, though the airline plans to start proper commercial flights to Heathrow and then Dubai this year.
Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier and is wholly owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
The airline’s main hub will be at Riyadh King Khalid International. The London route is the first step in Riyadh Air’s plan to connect Riyadh to more than 100 destinations by 2030, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy.
Fleet
The airline will only be using the leased 787-9 for a short time. It has orders in place for 182 brand new aircraft:
- 50 Airbus A350-1000 (25 confirmed)
- 60 Airbus A321neo
- 72 Boeing 787-9 (39 confirmed orders)
Riyadh Air has signed to lease one Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Saudi-based AviLease. The airline expects one brand‑new aircraft before the end of 2025.
