Riyadh Air completes first domestic commercial flight

Riyadh Air has completed its first domestic commercial flight, operating a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) and Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) on June 14, 2026. The aircraft, registered HZ-RXAC, departed RUH at 09:18 local time and touched down in Jeddah shortly before 10:20. The flight marks a key operational milestone for the startup carrier as it begins scheduled services with newly delivered widebody aircraft.

“We inaugurated our first domestic flight to Jeddah in the presence of His Excellency Professor @AlduailejA, Chairman of @ksagaca, and His Excellency Professor Raed Ismail, Member of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Air, at a pivotal station that enhances air connectivity between Saudi cities and supports travel and tourism movement on one of the world’s busiest air routes,” Riyadh Air said in a social media statement.

The Dreamliner used on the sector, HZ-RXAC, only recently arrived from Boeing’s Everett Paine Field (PAE) in the United States. It was the airline’s third new 787-9 to roll off the Boeing assembly line and completed an almost 14-hour delivery flight to Saudi Arabia on June 6, 2026. Riyadh Air received this aircraft alongside three other new 787-9s that expanded the carrier’s initial operating fleet.

Operational context and network roll-out

• Riyadh Air launched its first full-service flight on June 10, 2026, operating the carrier’s maiden service to London Heathrow (LHR).
• Following the Jeddah domestic inauguration, Riyadh Air plans to begin flights from Riyadh to Dubai on June 18, 2026, and to Cairo on June 25, 2026.
• Shortly after, the airline will open services to Madrid on July 17, 2026, and Manchester on July 23, 2026, with each route to be flown by the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The presence at the Jeddah ceremony of Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Raed Ismail, a board member of Riyadh Air, underlined the strategic intent behind introducing domestic connectivity on one of the kingdom’s busiest corridors. The carrier’s statement framed the launch as enhancing air connectivity between Saudi cities and supporting travel and tourism on a heavily trafficked international route.

Riyadh Air’s initial operations center on deploying its newly built long-haul-capable 787-9 fleet to establish a mix of regional and long-haul services. The company’s phased schedule — beginning with London and immediately adding key regional capitals and leisure/business markets — aims to position the carrier quickly on both intercontinental and high-density domestic sectors.

Outlook

Over the coming weeks, Riyadh Air will monitor performance on the RUH–JED sector and early international routes as it integrates additional 787-9 aircraft into service. Continued on-time deliveries from Boeing and smooth regulatory coordination will be essential as the airline ramps up to the planned network that includes Dubai, Cairo, Madrid and Manchester. If the carrier maintains its delivery and launch cadence, Riyadh Air could establish a reliable core network of regional and long-haul routes by mid-summer 2026.