Inside the Minds of Four Middle East Airline CEOs

09.10.2024 - 10:47 / skift.com / Tony Douglas / Gordon Smith

From mammoth aircraft orders to innovations in passenger experience, the Middle East is playing a key role in reshaping the global aviation landscape. So when airline leaders from the region speak out, it’s usually worth paying attention.

At the Routes World 2024 conference – where airlines, airports, and tourism agencies gather to define the future for global air networks – Skift heard from four of the Middle East’s industry heavyweights. Here are some of the highlights:

The CEO of new Saudi carrier Riyadh Air said the airline is “well advanced” in obtaining its Air Operator Certificate (AOC). This is a key regulatory milestone required to begin commercial operations. Tony Douglas, the former Etihad chief tasked with making the start-up airline a reality, offered the update ahead of its planned launch in 2025. 

Douglas said the carrier was “days away from completing its AOC flights” and would complete the all-important certification by the end of 2024. “Riyadh Air will be up and running and selling tickets next year,” he confirmed. 

It follows the start of non-revenue test flights in September between Riyadh and Jeddah using a leased Boeing 787 aircraft from Saudia Airlines.

Douglas revealed that the firm’s digital offering will be presented in an “Apple-style” product launch at the end of October. The CEO also confirmed that the company recently moved into its new headquarters next to Riyadh’s international airport.

Last year, Riyadh Air signed a blockbuster deal for up to 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner planes. Of this, 39 are firm orders, with options to acquire a further 33 widebody aircraft. Despite a target of launching operations in June 2025, the airline has yet to reveal the composition of its narrowbody fleet. Commenting on a possible gap in the launch plan, Douglas said: “We will announce in relatively short order our position on narrowbodies, but it will be a fleet of roughly equivalent scale. 

“We will start with widebodies and will deploy the 787-9 for example to one of the capital cities in western Europe from Riyadh. It will then do one of the thick, regional routes from Riyadh, like Delhi, Jeddah, or Dubai, so we can keep the utilization of our most valuable asset as high as possible.”

Riyadh Air plans to take delivery of its first narrowbody aircraft within a year of its launch with long-haul aircraft, Douglas added. 

The carrier has agreed partnerships with several international airlines, including Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines. Douglas told delegates that he expected another two agreements to be reached. One with a Western European airline and another with an operator on the Indian subcontinent. Both deals will be in place before the first Riyadh Air-branded aircraft takes to