Earlier this week, it emerged that new entrant to the airline industry, Riyadh Air, is eyeing flights to China by 2026, a year after it launches in 2025.
The CEO Tony Douglas is remaining very confident on the level of travel demand between the country and its home nation of Saudi Arabia.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Riyadh Air Eyes China Flights by 2026, Still Launching in 2025…
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According to China Daily, Riyadh Air is looking to service the following cities across China from 2026 in order to begin with:
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Guangzhou
- Chengdu
CEO Tony Douglas had this to say when he was in China meeting representatives of the CAAC:
“We are the largest aviation startup in the past 30 years. As the new national carrier of Saudi Arabia, we plan to connect 110 cities globally within five years of operation”.
“There is a big demand for business connectivity between China and Saudi Arabia. We have also seen huge leisure travel demand as people have curiosity about Saudi Arabia”.
Douglas also noted that since the airline’s announcement of starting operations, they have received over 600,000 applications from across the world to work for Riyadh Air:
“The resumes come from 142 countries, and China is well-represented. We will need Chinese employees on our teams.”
“We will not just have a demand for cabin crew and ground staff, but we need a variety of employees in the ecosystem”.
The reasoning for a focus on flights into China is down to the Saudi Vision 2030 strategic plan, where it is expected that direct flights between Jeddah and Beijing will welcome in over four million Chinese visitors by 2030.
Looking ahead, all eyes are on Riyadh Air to see whether they will launch on time in 2025, as well as whether such flights into the region will happen in 2026.
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