Riyadh Air launches first domestic service to Jeddah | News
Riyadh Air, the new national airline of Saudi Arabia, officially launched its domestic flights to King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah yesterday at a historic ceremony attended by His Excellency Dr. Tawfig Al-Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah, His Excellency Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Mr. Raed Ismail, Board Member of Riyadh Air, Eng. Raed bin Ibrahim Al-Mudayheem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jeddah Airports Company; Scary. Mazen bin Mohammed Johar, Chief Executive Officer of the Jeddah Airport company, and senior executives of the airline and entities operating at the airport.
The milestone marked an important step in the airline’s network expansion from Riyadh, as the first flight took off from Kind Khalid International Airport (RUH) at 9am and was scheduled to land at King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) at 10.50am. The flight was welcomed by Eng. Mazen Johar, Chief Executive Officer of Jeddah Airports Company, together with airport management and stakeholders.
This first domestic arrival marked a significant addition to the airline’s growing route network from Riyadh, which started with two daily flights on 14 June and expanded to three daily flights from 18 June, followed by four daily flights from 2 July.
The airline’s entry into this market comes at a time of unprecedented demand. According to data from aviation analyst OAG, the Riyadh-Jeddah corridor was the fifth busiest domestic route in the world in 2025, with 9.8 million seats. By introducing its world-class services on this high-density route, Riyadh Air is directly supporting the Kingdom’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy, delivering high-quality capacity to support Saudi Arabia’s thriving tourism, business, religious and economic sectors.
Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said: “The launch of our new service to Jeddah marks another historic moment in our journey to increase connectivity with Riyadh. This route has been carefully selected to serve a key business and cultural travel market, in line with our ambition to become a global airline and make a significant contribution to Vision 2030. We look forward to welcoming our guests on board to experience our signature Saudi Hawafa as we connect these two major cities with connecting each other and continuing to redefine the future of air travel.”
Scary. Mazen bin Mohammed Johar, CEO of King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah, added:
“We at Jeddah Airports are proud to welcome the first flights of Riyadh Air on the inaugural domestic route between Jeddah and Riyadh, which reflects the advanced level of cooperation between the various components of the aviation sector. This step contributes to strengthening air connectivity between the Kingdom’s two most important cities and supports efforts aimed at improving service quality and expanding travel options for passengers, in line with the objectives of the national aviation sector.”
Scary. Mazen added that the continued growth in operational traffic reflects King Abdulaziz International Airport’s position as a major aviation hub. During the first quarter of 2026, the airport served more than 14.8 million passengers on nearly 84,000 flights. The significant expansion of destinations and travel options helps strengthen air connectivity in support of the aviation program derived from the National Aviation Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
These flights further the airline’s mission to connect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provide a world-class travel and logistics experience. The vital Riyadh-Jeddah route strengthens crucial business ties and provides seamless access to Jeddah as a major commercial port city and a strategic gateway for both religious travel to Mecca and Medina, and diverse tourism along the Red Sea coast. Furthermore, the service positions Riyadh as a major transport hub, providing convenient onward connections for passengers traveling from Jeddah to leading global destinations such as Dubai, Cairo, Madrid and Manchester.
Ticket purchases can be made via the Riyadh Air app, the Riyadh Air website at riyadhair.com, or through preferred travel providers and platforms. Guests are also invited to become ‘Founding Members’ of the airline’s loyalty programme, Atmosphere, guaranteeing them a Best Offer Guarantee and free Wi-Fi, while earning rewards from their very first flight.
