Riyadh Air applies to begin US flights

The recently formed Saudi carrier is 100% owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Saudi Arabian start-up carrier Riyadh Air has applied with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for authority to fly to the USA, a move coming as the newly started airline prepares to execute a plan of rapid international expansion.

Established in 2023, Riyadh Air on 5 May requested from the US regulator permits and permissions needed to begin scheduled and charter flights between Saudi Arabia and the USA, a regulatory filing shows.

The authority requested covers flights from any points in Saudi Arabia to any points in the USA.
“Riyadh Air anticipates launching nonstop service from Saudi Arabia to the United States upon receipt of all required government approvals,” the airline says.

The company received its air operator certificate from Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator in February 2025. Its regulatory filing says the airline has already started flights between Riyadh and London.

FlightGlobal reported last October that the carrier was then planning to begin operational-readiness flights on that route using its first and still only aircraft, a Boeing 787-9 with registration HZ-RXX.

Riyadh Air is not yet selling tickets on its website, but other news outlets have reported that tickets are available for sale on some travel-booking sites.

The airline aims to expand to 100 international destinations by 2030 and has signed partnerships with more than 10 airlines, including Delta Air Lines, its DOT filing notes.

Riyadh Air intends to execute that growth with a massive fleet. It holds unfilled orders for 60 Airbus A321neos, 25 A350s and another 39 787-9s, according to fleet-data provider Cirium.

Saudia Technic, Etihad Engineering and GE Caledonia in Prestwick, Scotland, are among firms selected to maintain the fleet, the DOT filing says.

It adds that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund owns 100% of the carrier, and that since 2023 Riyadh Air has received $3 billion (SAR11.1 billion) in “capital contributions from the Government of Saudi Arabia”.