Tony Douglas, the CEO of Riyadh Air is leading a delegation to India. The delegation will be exploring potential partnerships in India, a major market for Riyadh Air. Riyadh Air’s launch later this year will significantly improve connectivity and growth opportunities for the two nations. India is expected to become Saudi Arabia’s top source market for tourism by 2030.
The Saudi Tourism Authority wants to welcome 7.5million visitors per annum from India by the end decade. In 2023, the number of Indians travelling to Saudi Arabia increased to 1.5 million after a series of initiatives.
As part of Riyadh’s Air trip, scheduled for March 12-14, 2025, the Riyadh delegation will meet with officials at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Embassy, to receive the permissions and assistance needed to launch India operations. Mr. Douglas will also meet IndiGo and Air India– India’s two largest airlines to discuss possible partnerships.
Tony Douglas, CEO, Riyadh Air stated: “India has been a critical part of Riyadh Air’s planning for its network in the lead up to our operations launch. India is a beautiful and vibrant nation that will play an important role in the success story for our airline. Travel and business opportunities will multiply as we provide expanded offerings.”
Riyadh Air’s extensive network will do more than connect people and promote economic growth. It will also enhance and diversify tourism in Saudi Arabia and India, and help create stronger ties between the two countries.
As the world’s only digital native airline, our commitment is to partner with entities in India across a range of aviation stakeholders to create a sustainable relationship that is prosperous and mutually advantageous, and delivers exceptional travel experiences.
Riyadh Air announced that Bird Travels would be its exclusive sales and distribution partner in India. Bird Travels will play a key role in promoting Riyadh Air’s flight services and increasing its brand visibility across India. Bird Travels is known for its extensive connectivity, deep understanding of Indian travel landscape and its deep understanding of Indian travel.
Bhatia said, “We are proud to be Riyadh Air’s exclusive distribution and sale partner in India. We are confident Indian travelers will enjoy Riyadh Air’s innovative services and exceptional experience onboard.”
Saudi Arabia and India enjoy friendly and cordial relations, which reflect the centuries-old economic and social ties between the two nations. In 1947, diplomatic relations were established between Saudi Arabia & India.
Riyadh Air, in addition to being a catalyst of Saudi Arabia’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS), plays a key part in achieving Vision 2030 by contributing to the nation’s wider economic diversification and job creation goals.
Riyadh Air plans to fly to 100 destinations worldwide by 2030. It will also increase Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GPD by $20 billion. Directly and indirectly, it will create more that 200,000 new jobs locally and globally.
