Saudi’s Riyadh Air to launch its first London flights on October 26, but tickets won’t be open to the public

Saudi Arabia’s newest national airline, Riyadh Air, is preparing for a strategic soft launch of its first international route — daily flights between Riyadh and London Heathrow — beginning October 26, 2025. While tickets won’t be publicly available yet, this tightly managed rollout marks a crucial proving phase as the airline gears up for full-scale commercial operations in 2026. Backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Riyadh Air is positioning itself as a future global aviation leader, with this initial route serving not only as a testbed for systems, aircraft, and service procedures, but also as a key milestone in the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 strategy. Riyadh Air’s first operational route will connect King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with London Heathrow Airport,