New global airline plans flights to Sydney, Melbourne

This Sunday, a new airline will take to the skies.

Bankrolled to the tune of billions of dollars, it’s buying almost 200 modern Airbus and Boeing jets fitted with the latest suites and seats, to build a global network to rival Emirates and Qatar Airways.

That airline is Riyadh Air, and it has Australia in its sights.

“We’re talking about connecting to well over 100 destinations by 2030,” CEO Tony Douglas tells Executive Traveller, adding that “cities in Australia and New Zealand” are on that map.

Riyadh Air's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners have non-stop range to Australia.

The Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh will become the airline’s bustling hub, serving the same purpose as Dubai for Emirates or Doha for Qatar Airways, with travellers switching between flights on a network which circles the globe.

Sydney and Melbourne are odds-on starters for the state-owned Saudi flag carrier: as Australia’s largest cities, they already host three daily flights from Emirates and two more on Qatar Airways jets.

The first step for Riyadh Air is its inaugural flight from Riyadh to London on Sunday October 26.

Dubai will follow in mid-November, with more European cities across early 2026 as new aircraft are delivered at the rate of two per month.

Riyadh Air's Business Elite suite boasts a double bed.

“The network builds out on every additional aircraft that arrives,” Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas tells Executive Traveller.

“Every time we get another plane, we’ll just increase the number of those cities.”

“By the time we get into 2028, we’re into some months of three deliveries a month” – and it’s this wave which will likely result in the launch of non-stop flights to Australia.

Riyadh Air will fly both the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – which neighbour Etihad Airways already sends to Sydney and Melbourne – and the Airbus A350-1000s, which will become the airline’s long-range flagship and boast Douglas describes as “a game-changing first class product.”

Riyadh Air's chic uniforms channel the 'golden age' of 1950's airline fashion.

Douglas is supremely confident of expanding Riyadh Air’s reach to Australia and New Zealand – it’s just a matter of when, he tells Executive Traveller.

“In the early days we certainly won’t have the fleet and maybe not the flow” to support the likes of Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

“So in the early stage of building our network, we’re more likely to put on a ‘thick route’ into Singapore”.

The Asian gateway is expected to be among Riyadh Air’s first 787 destinations in Asia, and is also home to partner Singapore Airlines, which would offer a ‘codeshare’ with Riyadh Air on flights to Australia and New Zealand.

But as the number of passengers and planes increases, direct Riyadh-Sydney and Riyadh-Melbourne flights would take wing.

Riyadh Air's premium economy seat aims for the sweet spot of value.

One wrinkle for Aussies facing that 15-hour trek is that, for now, the state-owned Riyadh Air is a ‘dry’ airline which won’t serve alcohol on board, or even on the ground in its own airport lounges.

That’s because, as a strictly Islamic country, Saudi Arabia has a total ban on selling and drinking alcohol – it can’t even be served in hotels or restaurants.

So where does this leave Riyadh Air?

“It’s very straightforward, really,” Douglas says. “We’ll work within the legal framework that is present at any point in time.”

“At the moment, alcohol is prohibited within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and therefore we will work with that as being the current legislation.”

“If over time things change, we’ll adapt and adjust accordingly.”

Douglas’ carefully-chosen words are framed against speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may permit some exceptions to the conservative kingdom’s ban on alcohol, as part of his agenda to develop the nation into a regional trade, finance, and tourism hub.

Other Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, have allowed non-Muslims to drink in hotels and licensed restaurants for several years.

Also read: Riyadh Air’s stunning new 787 business class