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Saudi Arabia’s two national carriers, Riyadh Air and Saudia have entered a partnership that will start with a codeshare agreement, but go on to include much more collaborative efforts. The pair of Kingdom carriers announced the deal at the Dubai Airshow taking place in the emirate this week.

Along with codeshares, the deal will see each carrier’s loyalty program sync up so that travelers will be able to earn points or credits when traveling on codeshare services operated by the other.

Riyadh Air “Raising The Bar”

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas stated: “Riyadh Air and Saudia will play a significant part in the growth of travel tourism within the Kingdom and so having the national carriers working side-by-side is the best way to accelerate and manage this growth.”

“We are confident that Riyadh Air will raise the bar in air travel and working in cooperation with Saudia will help us achieve this as we prepare for take-off in 2025.”

Riyadh Air was launched earlier this year by the Kingdom’s crown prince, looking to connect to 100 destinations by 2030 and significantly support the country’s lofty 150 million visitor goal that same year. Headed by the former chief of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad, the carrier says it will create 200,000 jobs by the end of the decade and contribute billions to the local economy.

Saudi Arabia’s latest national carrier Riyadh Air has shown off its second livery at Dubai Airshow. While its first livery was a striking all-over purple design, the second is more subtle, which, according to the airline “reflects purity and the future-focused vision of Saudi Arabia.”

“This iconic second livery is the latest milestone for Riyadh Air as we shape and disrupt the future of air travel and aviation, with many more things to come,” said CEO Tony Douglas.

In March, Saudi Arabia unveiled plans for the establishment of a second national airline, while concurrently placing a preliminary order for as many as 72 Boeing 787 aircraft, as part of its broader economic diversification efforts, moving away from its traditional reliance on oil production.

Operating from Riyadh as its hub, the airline aims to connect to more than 100 destinations by the end of 2030. It also wants to create more than 200,000 jobs and add $20 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP.

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s newest airline, has unveiled the first of two new livery designs set to be featured on its aircraft when it commences operation in 2025 on its social media channels.

The striking purple livery, which the airline calls a perfect blend of “cutting-edge technology and timeless elegance,” is being showcased on a Boeing 787-9 following a confirmed order for 39 of the aircrafts with Boeing in March.

Operating from Riyadh as its hub, the airline aims to connect to more than 100 destinations by the end of the decade.

You can take a look at the full video released by Riyadh Air below:

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