Comfort plus: Riyadh Air’s new premium economy seat

Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air aims to shake up the skies with not only a world-leading business class but a premium economy offering above that of rival Emirates, and any other airline for that matter.

And it’s not just about the seat, with airline CEO Tony Douglas hinting at an elevated ‘soft product’ set such as sleep amenities to differentiate Riyadh Air from the rest.

“I think there’ll be a few very pleasant surprises when we announce our premium economy amenities, because we’re going to take that to the next level,” Douglas told Executive Traveller in an Australian exclusive interview at this weekend’s reveal of the airline’s 787 cabins, suites and seats.

That curtain-raiser comes ahead of first commercial flights in late 2025, with launch destinations announced (expect two premium cities in Europe) and tickets going on sale in Q3.

Riyadh Air premium economy

Douglas said passengers can expect the combination of Riyadh Air’s premium economy recliner, soft product and service to “come together in a big step towards what you would normally get in a regular business class.”

This is in keeping with Douglas’ description of Riyadh Air premium economy as a “business-minus” category, although as with most airlines, passengers are expected to buy up from economy rather than buy down from business.

Riyadh Air's 787 premium economy seat.

For now, all that’s being shared are details of the seat itself – and it’s the same well-regarded Recaro 3530 also flown by Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

“I think Emirates has done a brilliant job” with premium economy, Douglas admitted, although the Riyadh Air version of the Recaro seat includes headrest wings – practical for both comfort and privacy – something which Emirates opted out of.

Riyadh Air's 787 premium economy seat.

There’ll be 39 seats across six rows, arranged a standard 2-3-2 grouping – making the paired seats by the window ideal for couples.

There are no surprises in the 19.2” seat width or 38” pitch or calf rest, all of which are fairly standard for premium economy on a Boeing 787.

However, Riyadh Air has upsized the video screen to a generous 15.6” – more than in some business class seats – and spec’d a bright 4K OLED panel, with Bluetooth audio beamed to the passenger’s own headphones or earbuds.

In fact, all the movies, TV shows and content in the onboard library – plus live TV news and sport channels – can be streamed to a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Riyadh Air's 787 premium economy seat.

There are also four USB-C power outlets in each premium economy seat, plus fast free WiFi available for travellers signed up to Riyadh Air’s forthcoming frequent flyer loyalty program.

Beyond all that, the specs and the tech, Douglas draws attention to the materials, fabrics and finish of the premium economy seat, developed by feted London-based studio PriestmanGoode.

Riyadh Air's 787 premium economy seat.

The deeply-padded seats feature a signature ‘canopy twist’ element evoking traditional Arabic tents, which is repeated through the aircraft.

The seats and leather headrests are primarily finished in a dusky indigo; trim, controls and the pillow are mocha, with the elegant veined marble-effect cocktail table bringing both together.

Riyadh Air's 787 premium economy seat.

If there’s one noticeable drawback from Riyadh Air’s new 787 premium economy cabin, it’s that there no washrooms dedicated to those 39 passengers, who will be sharing the lavs with their economy siblings.

Riyadh Air economy 

In Riyadh Air’s 233-seat 787 economy cabin, passengers can expect:

• a standard 3-3-3 layout with 31” pitch and 17.2” seat width
• 13.3” 4K OLED screens
• a 6-way adjustable leather headrest
• two USB-C charging points 

Riyadh Air's 787 economy class seat.

As in premium economy, there’s audio streaming to your own headphones and video streaming to your own devices, plus free WiFi – and not just a limited messaging-only package, but full access to the Web, email and more.

Riyadh Air's 787 economy class seat.

The quilted economy seats from Recaro soften into lavender with blue highlights.

Riyadh Air's 787 economy class seat.

“Through all of the evaluation we’ve done, we think this Recaro is the most comfortable seat out there,” Douglas said.

“But again, what we’ve done with it is the art of design… the fabric choices, the stitching profiles, the way we dress it and everything else that goes with it.”

Also read: Where will Riyadh Air fly, and will it be dry?