India to Play ‘Crucial’ Role in Riyadh Air’s Global Network

Speaking in Delhi on Wednesday, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas kept pushing the momentum message: “We will be the biggest start-up in our industry in the past 40 years.”

It’s a big claim, but one that carries credibility. After all, Riyadh Air isn’t just any start-up airline – it’s backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and has a mission to bring much-needed nonstop connectivity to the Kingdom’s capital.

Douglas was in India to explore potential partnerships and lay the groundwork for the carrier’s commercial launch later this year. 

Of course, launching a global airline isn’t easy. To help bolster connectivity from day one, Riyadh Air has signed big-name deals with the likes of Delta, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, and China Eastern. However, India and parts of Europe remain areas of relative weakness. 

Regarding possible partners in India, there are only two large airlines in contention: Douglas was expected to meet with representatives from Air India and IndiGo. In separate developments, Riyadh Air appointed Bird Group as its local general sales agent (GSA), based in Delhi.

Speaking to Skift, Douglas emphasized the importance of the Indian market: “India has long been a crucial part of Riyadh Air’s network planning ahead of our operations launch. India is a beautiful nation which will pl