Saudi Arabia is planning to launch a new national airline, Riyadh Air. Based at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, the airline aspires to service more than 100 destinations by 2030 and become the Middle East's largest airline.
Tony Douglas, a former CEO of Etihad Airways, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company, and CEO of London Heathrow Airport, will lead the airline. Highness Riyadh Air, according to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund ("PIF"), "will leverage Saudi Arabia's strategic geographical location between the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, enabling
Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism." The goal is to build the airline and Riyadh Airport into prominent participants in the Middle East, competing with rivals like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines, as well as their respective hubs.