100 cities, 132 Dreamliners, one very big ambition: Meet Riyadh Air

Saudi Arabia launched Riyadh Air on Wednesday, with its inaugural flight departing King Khalid International Airport at 2:35am bound for London Heathrow, marking the culmination of more than four years of preparation and a bold challenge to Gulf aviation giants Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

The new carrier, owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF and a flagship project of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, has ordered 132 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and signed a deal for 25 Airbus A350-1000s, with options for 50 more. Its stated ambition: connect over 100 international cities within five years, with 22 destinations operational by March 2027.

The launch comes after significant delays caused by Boeing's delivery and certification difficulties, and against a backdrop of regional conflict that has disrupted Gulf aviation. Iran has struck airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Bahrain, though Riyadh has been less affected thanks to its geographic position.

Saudi Arabia is simultaneously building a new Riyadh airport capable of handling 120 million passengers annually by 2030, more than double its current capacity. The kingdom aims to triple its total air traffic to 330 million passengers by the end of the decade.

Some analysts question whether the regional market can absorb another major carrier. But Riyadh Air holds one advantage its Gulf rivals lack: a domestic market of 35 million people, the largest in the region.