Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, has revealed two significant milestones as it announces a landmark on its journey towards its 2025 debut: one of them being the commencement of its first daily flights to London Heathrow Airport on October 26th.
Riyadh Air also unveiled Sfeer, its new loyalty offering, which will provide exclusive benefits to its early Founding Members through “The Founders”.
Initial flights will only be open for sale to employees
Beginning October 26th, Riyadh Air will commence daily flights from Riyadh to London Heathrow Airport aboard its designated aircraft, “Jamila”, which is a leased Boeing 787 aircraft that is actually owned by Oman Air.
These flights, initially on sale only to select groups and Riyadh Air employees, are a critical phase in ensuring operational readiness while utilising Riyadh Air’s recently awarded slot at London Heathrow. Ticket sales to the public will not begin until the start-up airline takes delivery of its first two 787 Dreamliners from Boeing, weeks after the October 26th flight date.
“This isn’t just a launch; it’s a tangible realisation of a vision to connect Saudi Arabia to the world, a core pillar of Saudi Vision 2030,” stated Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air. “Our commitment to begin operations in 2025 is being fulfilled. This rigorous flight programme on Jamila allows us to fine-tune every detail, ensuring a seamless, reliable, and world-class experience. This carefully sequenced approach is our pathway to perfection, and we are now incredibly close to full operations as our new aircraft are delivered.”
Future plans
The Riyadh-Heathrow route will be a daily scheduled service, which the airline is starting in time for the northern winter season. Other airlines currently operating the Riyadh-London Heathrow route include British Airways, Saudia and Virgin Atlantic.
Reuters reported that Douglas mentioned that the airline’s second destination will be Dubai and that it aims to serve more than 100 destinations by 2030 once it takes delivery of more aircraft.
It has 182 planes on order, including options, from Boeing and Airbus. When Riyadh Air begins to take delivery of its 60 Airbus A321 Neo on order, it will start short-haul and domestic routes, Douglas said.
Douglas aims to improve connectivity for Saudi Arabia’s capital. Riyadh has no direct links with three key world cities to the east: Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney are totally underserved. As these and many more routes are added, connectivity will increase. At present, only one in 10 passengers arriving at Riyadh is connecting to other flights, compared with as many as nine out of 10 at Gulf hubs.
Douglas also dismissed the idea of joining an airline alliance group but noted that Riyadh Air has signed deals with 10 airlines, including Delta, China Eastern Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Egyptair, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, to fly passengers onward towards other destinations.
Sfeer Loyalty Programme has no expiry date for points
Sfeer, meaning “Ambassador” in Arabic and blended with the English word “sphere”, embodies the vibrant, generous spirit of Saudi Arabia.
Sfeer members will be able to share level points within their community. Sfeer membership is now open via Riyadh Air’s website, and early joiners will be recognised as ‘The Founders’, who will receive priority access to bookings on future flights.
A cornerstone of Sfeer’s innovation is its community-centric design, allowing members to share points, benefits, and Level Points with friends and family, fostering collective reward. Furthermore, Sfeer offers a “no points expiry” policy, ensuring every point and benefit is enjoyed, not wasted.
As ‘The Founders’, early joiners receive priority access to bookings on future flights. All Sfeer members can look forward to complimentary onboard Wi-Fi. Joining Sfeer now allows members to start collecting points and gain exclusive early access to routes and priority booking.
