Dubai has reportedly delivered a snub to upstart new airline Riyadh Airlines by approving just one flight per day between its home hub in Riyadh and Dubai International Airport. The government-backed airline had wanted to fly between the two cities up to four times per day, but will have to settle for its single slot allocation when services start on June 18.
Riyadh Air took delivery of its first two brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners last week, more than a year later than planned, and has worked quickly to confirm the start of commercial passenger operations to a slew of destinations.
Sources : Dubai International Airport has rejected Riyadh Air's request to operate up to 4 daily flights between Riyadh and Dubai, approving only one flight per day, equivalent to 25% of the requested capacity.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 10, 2026
The new Saudi airline will begin operating its single approved daily… pic.twitter.com/Y8liBR3Ugx
On Tuesday, Riyadh Air launched its first route between Riyadh and London Heathrow after bringing forward the official start date by several weeks from July 1. In the coming days, the airline plans to launch passenger operations to Jeddah on June 14, Dubai on June 18, Cairo on June 25, followed by Madrid on July 17 and then Manchester on July 23.
Riyadh Air now has three brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, as well as an ‘operational spare,’ which is a second-hand Dreamliner leased from Oman Air. Deliveries of 72 Boeing 787-9s are expected to accelerate in the coming weeks.
“These routes have been carefully selected to serve key markets for business, tourism, and trade, and are designed to facilitate seamless transit for travelers from Europe to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and beyond, aligning with our ambition to become a global airline and a significant contributor to Vision 2030,” Tony Douglas, Riyadh Air’s chief executive, commented.
You can’t help but wonder whether Riyadh Air was hoping to serve Dubai in order to enable cheap connections through Saudi Arabia to Egypt, the UK, and Spain. If that were the plan, Dubai’s reported snub could cause the airline some issues.
Officially, Riyadh Air was founded in 2023 to act as a point-to-point airline, predominantly bringing passengers to and from Saudi Arabia, rather than acting as a transit airline, and connecting East and West.
In recent months, however, Douglas has dialled down that rhetoric and talked more about Riyadh Air’s ability to offer seamless connections.
Matt’s take
I’m incredibly intrigued to see what the future has in store for Riyadh Air. The airline was created as a second national carrier alongside Saudia Airlines, but it’s hard to see what sets Riyadh Air apart at the moment.
The belief was that Saudia would largely become an airline serving Umrah pilgrims, whereas Riyadh Air would compete with the likes of Emirates and Etihad Airways, bringing a new generation of rich, well-heeled tourists to Saudi Arabia.
Personally, I don’t think Saudi Aabai’s tourism industry has matured to the point that it would fully support Riyadh Air’s incredibly ambitious growth plans, and along with the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the airline’s launch is coming at an incredibly difficult time.
That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if Riyadh Air starts heavily competing on price, undercutting regional rivals to lure passengers who are willing to forego alcohol (it’s still banned on Riyadh Air) in exchange for a cheap ticket.
