With that piece of paper... A new era opens for Riyadh Air: because it is now a real airline

Just over two years after its official launch on March 12, 2023, Riyadh Air has become a real airline. Because you can also order planes, present the uniforms of the crews, get publicity in the media and in the sports world, tighten partnerships with other carriers.

But until you hold an AOC (Air Operator Certificate or AOC) you remain a 'paper airline,' a company that exists only on paper.

On Sunday, April 6, Riyadh Air obtained its AOC from GACA, the General Authority of Civil Aviation - Saudi Arabia from the hands on Sue Eminence Abdullaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, president of GACA, in an official ceremony at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that was attended by the Airline CEO Tony Douglas and the Saudi minister of transportation.

The certificate states that Riyadh Air "has met all regulatory requirements in accordance with the Civil Aviation Law for aviation safety standards and operational quality."

With that piece of paper in hand, the carrier could start flying with paying passengers on board as early as now. However, as he reiterated in social posts, "operations will begin by the end of 2025.", so not for a few more months.

The main reason for this expectation is that, in fact, Riyadh Air does not yet have a single aircraft in its fleet. Or rather, for the past few weeks it has been sporting on special occasions such as Sunday's and using for the preparation of its flight and cabin crews A Boeing 787-9, which, however, is on lease from Oman Air, where it will likely return when the 787-9s ordered start arriving.

The specialized website planespotters.net lists seven coming in the next few months. However, the company has not yet announced a delivery date for the first aircraft. Not only that. He has not yet announced any of the first destinations to which he intends to fly (although a strong suspect is London), although he says that the network by 2030 will see a list of 100 cities.

Also top secret is the interior layout of the Dreamliners, which will still be two-class (Business and Economy, without a First). But this is all perfectly understandable, both from a strategic and a marketing point of view.

What is known is that the Boeing 787-9 ordered so far number 39, with options for 33 more Dreamliners. And that for short and medium haul Riyadh Air. opted instead for Airbus and its A321neo, of which last Oct. 30 ordered 60 specimens, the first of which is Expected in the fleet in the second half of 2026.