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New Premium Airline Riyadh Air Prepares For Late 2025 Takeoff

The ultra-premium service has already begun forging strong partnership and sponsor deals, and plans to connect 100 cities by 2030.

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2025

Nour Nasir

new premium airline riyadh air prepares for late 2025 takeoff

Saudi Arabia’s latest airline venture, Riyadh Air, is gearing up for its first flights in late 2025. With a strong emphasis on digital innovation, premium service, and strategic alliances, the airline is poised to shake up the aviation sector.

“By the end of this year, you will see Riyadh Air in the skies,” CEO Tony Douglas announced at the Saudi-backed Future Investment Initiative conference. His message was clear: the airline is fully prepared to serve both domestic and international travelers.

At #FIIPRIORITY in Miami, during the 'How is Technology Disrupting the Sky' panel, our CEO Tony Douglas shared insights on how #RiyadhAir’s digital-first approach will elevate modern travelers’ experiences.

Get ready for a fast, convenient, and seamless all-in-one booking… pic.twitter.com/yYYhO3jDaV

— Riyadh Air (@RiyadhAir) February 21, 2025

As a key player in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative, Riyadh Air has been rapidly building international partnerships, such as its latest collaboration with LIV Golf. The airline was also responsible for bringing singer Jameela to Saudi Arabia for the first time.

CEO Douglas has ambitious hopes of Riyadh Air bringing back the golden age of aviation, comparing it to iconic carriers like TWA and Pan Am. He promised “haute couture, glamour, refinement, and style” from the airline’s cabin experience, setting a high bar for service and aesthetics.

Despite a desire to bring back the glory days of commercial aviation, Riyadh Air is still adopting a modern, digital-first approach. An AI-driven concierge service will integrate travel bookings with entertainment and dining options, with CEO Tony Douglas likening the system’s intuitive capabilities to platforms like Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb.

Douglas sees vast potential in the Saudi aviation market, calling it “underserved” and ready for growth. Riyadh Air has already secured connectivity agreements with major carriers like Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines, ensuring smooth connections to international destinations.

“With Delta, for example, a passenger flying from Riyadh can easily connect to Phoenix or Baltimore via Atlanta or JFK,” Douglas explained, highlighting the convenience of the partnership.

Also Read: Dubai Teams Up With Elon Musk’s Boring Company For “Dubai Loop”

The airline’s fleet plans include commissioning 72 Boeing 787s and 60 Airbus A321neos, with negotiations ongoing for additional widebody aircraft. Despite Boeing’s recent delivery issues, Douglas remains confident: “Boeing will come good, there is no question”.

By 2030, Riyadh Air aims to serve 100 global destinations, with Miami among the cities under review. Douglas pointed to Saudi Arabia’s rising tourism profile, noting that it was the second most-searched travel destination on Google last year, thanks to attractions like Diriyah, AlUla, and Riyadh itself.

Related Topics:Aviation Riyadh Air Saudi Arabia

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Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers

Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.

Published

6 days ago

October 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi's robot kitchen is serving up biryani not burgers

Circus SE

The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:

“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.

Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.

circus se ca-1 robot system

The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.

In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.

The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.

Also Read: Ooredoo Qatar’s 5G+ Network Is Built For Machines As Much As People

Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.

You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.