Riyadh Air is betting on a tourist surge to Saudi Arabia
THE DUBAI air show ended on November 17th with bumper orders for a total of 399 airliners. Emirates, the local giant, is buying 95 long-haul jets from Boeing with a list price in excess of $52bn. Yet the deal which made the biggest waves was one that did not materialise. Riyadh Air, a carrier with a single borrowed aircraft but lofty ambitions, had been expected to place a big order at the jamboree. Riyadh Air says that it will now order narrow-body jets in the coming weeks, to add to 39 wide-bodies which it agreed in March to purchase from Boeing, with an option to buy 33 more.
The airline will not take passengers until 2025 but its boss, Tony Douglas, formerly in charge of Etihad, Abu Dhabi’s flag carrier, has teased at what is to come from an airline that promises a new standard for “reliability, comfort and hospitality”. Aviation is a pillar of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030”, a mammoth scheme to diversify its economy away from oil.
Many of the trappings of a new airline are in place. In Dubai, against a backdrop of the 787 Dreamliner on loan from Boeing, painted in a striking purple livery, Mr Douglas showed off a picture of a second, more sober, mostly white paint job, the better to reflect the baking desert sun. A partnership announced in Dubai with Lucid, a Saudi-backed electric-vehicle startup, was meant to symbolise the promise of world-beating sustainability practices. A shirt-sponsorship deal with Atlético Madrid, one of Spain’s leading football clubs, ensures that Riyadh Air is in the public eye.
2023-11-23 10:08:13
Article from www.economist.com