Saudi Arabia launched a new national airline, Riyadh Air. The new national carrier was unveiled on Sunday as part of the plans to transform the capital city into a global aviation hub.
The new airline will play a significant part in the nation's ambitious "Vision 2030" reform goal, which calls for tripling annual traffic to 330 million passengers and transporting up to five million tonnes of cargo each year. Up to 100 new locations will be served by Riyadh Air by the year 2030.
In November, Saudi Arabia announced plans to build a new
airport in Riyadh that will span 57 square kilometers and hold 185 million
passengers by 2050 in addition to 120 million travelers yearly by 2030. Three
times as many people can travel via this airport as can through the 35
million-passenger capacity of the current Riyadh airport. The newest
undertaking in a "vast package of developments" that Saudi Arabia
hopes would improve its standing as a center for international aviation and
global logistics is Riyadh Air.
Former CEO of Etihad Airlines Tony Douglas has been named
CEO of Riyadh Air. Although the size of the fleet and its funding source has
not yet been disclosed, the airline will fly a fleet of cutting-edge aircraft.
The new airline is a component of a broader plan to develop
a new airport in Riyadh, which will have the capacity to serve 185 million
people by 2050 and 120 million passengers annually by 2030. Boeing and the
Public Investment Fund are nearing agreement on a $35 billion airplane
contract.
The country's flag carrier, Saudia, is situated in Jeddah,
which also happens to be home to Saudi Arabia's busiest international airport
at the moment. According to Khalil Lamrabet, the former CEO of the Saudi Air
Connectivity Program, officials have been attempting to present Riyadh as a
competitor to Dubai and to do so, the city needs to create a
specialized hub. Industry experts have questioned whether Saudi Arabia's aims
are feasible, but officials believe that the country's considerable inward and
outbound traffic will be a big benefit for national carriers.
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