Saudi Arabian airline targets Heathrow – but don’t ask for a G&T

State-backed Riyadh Air ‘desperately keen’ to launch long-haul flights from London

A Saudi Arabian airline is preparing to launch long-haul flights from London as soon as next year – but passengers will be forced to forego their in-flight G&T on the journey.
Riyadh Air, one of the biggest carriers to launch in recent decades with a planned fleet of up to 200 jets, is seeking to secure landing slots at Heathrow after completing key elements of its licence application.
However, travellers will be unable to kickstart their holiday with an alcoholic beverage because Saudi Arabia’s ban on drinking also applies to its airlines. Foreign carriers serving the devoutly Muslim nation generally cease providing alcohol only when they enter its airspace.
Tony Douglas, chief executive, said flying to London would put down a marker and help establish the Riyadh Air name as it takes on Middle Eastern heavyweights Emirates and Qatar Airways.
He said: “We’re not going public with the full list until we’ve got all the slots. But Western Europe is essential. We’re desperately keen to get access to Heathrow.”
Securing flights at Europe’s busiest airport should be easier as a new entrant, with a number of otherwise scarce slots reserved for debutant carriers, Mr Douglas said.
Riyadh Air is already pushing its brand in the UK, having taken over advertising screens at two terminals at Heathrow, including Terminal 5, the home base of British Airways. Other ads are running on the Elizabeth Line, which serves the airport.
Mr Douglas said flights would remain alcohol-free unless there was a change in the law.
Saudi Arabia has recently allowed sales of alcohol in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, and is thought to be exploring the possibility of extending that to designated bars and restaurants in the next five years, something that could potentially include flights.
Mr Douglas said: “We will conform to the law of the land just as anybody else does wherever they may be. If the law changes then we would pivot accordingly.”
The move to establish a new airline is a key element of Saudi Arabia’s bid to reduce its reliance on oil by diversifying into new sectors such as transport and tourism.
The timing of the launch depends on Boeing’s ability to deliver the 787 wide-body jets that Riyadh Air has on order now that a two-month strike at the plane maker has been called off.
Mr Douglas said the airline needed three 787s to commence services, with flights towards the end of next summer viewed as realistic. It has 39 on order, which will arrive at a pace of two a month, allowing it to quickly expand towards a target of 100 international destinations by 2030.
Riyadh Air completed the flying elements of its licence application three weeks ago and will have fulfilled remaining formalities by the end of the year, after which it will be able to start selling tickets.
The new company, bankrolled by the Saudi state, is stepping up a recruitment drive with events including a jobs fair for pilots and engineers held this week in London. Some 1.4m people have so far registered their details on a careers page on its website.
The airline is also planning an order for 50 of the biggest wide-body jets and will choose between the new Boeing 777X or the Airbus A350 some time in the first half of next year. Mr Douglas said the availability of aircraft, which will be required from 2028, would be a factor. This may weaken the case for the 777X, which is already six years late.
The planes would serve the longest routes to the US west coast and Australia but could also be used to maximise capacity to crowded airports such as Heathrow.
Riyadh Air last week announced a mammoth $8bn (£6bn) deal for 60 A321neo short-haul jets from Airbus to serve India and the Gulf, with deliveries due from 2026 onwards.
Mr Douglas said at least some of those would be longer-range variants equipped with bed seats, allowing the carrier to serve routes that cannot support a wide-body jet or where demand is strongly seasonal, such as Malaga or Nice.
Between long-haul trips the first planes will also operate on the world’s most lucrative route between Riyadh and rival Emirates’s base in Dubai, where fares are higher than for the much longer trip to Heathrow.