Riyadh Air has unveiled its first cabin interior designs before starting commercial flights later this year, as it seeks to stand out in a market where Gulf airlines are vying to offer premium seats and luxury experiences.
The Saudi Arabian start-up will have a four-class configuration on its Boeing 787-9 planes featuring business elite, business, premium economy and economy cabins, it said.
The 787 Dreamliner, with capacity for 290 passengers, will feature four seats in business elite, 24 in business, 39 in premium economy and 223 economy-class seats.
The premium-economy seats from Recaro are the same model that Emirates has installed, which "most people would say, and I certainly will acknowledge, is the best premium economy out there", Tony Douglas, chief executive of Riyadh Air, told The National. The Saudi airline is hoping to outdo that with its choice of materials and design.
Riyadh Air's "premium-economy cabin is probably better than most business-class cabins in many European and North American carriers", he said.
"Through the art of design, we tried to bring back that glamorous, elevated proposition: if I were to put a persona to this, I wanted it to be the Audrey Hepburn of the sky, that timeless, glamorous cache of how you present elegance."
The airline worked with London-based industrial studio PriestmanGoode on the design, a process that took 18 months to "elevate" passengers' flying experience with a polished look of glamour, refinement and grace, Mr Douglas said, pointing to highlighting the golden age of aviation with Pan Am flights in the 1960s.
If I were to put a persona to this, I wanted it to be the Audrey Hepburn of the sky, that timeless, glamourous cache of how you present elegance
Tony Douglas,
chief executive of Riyadh Air
The premium cabins at the front of the plane try to recreate the "joy, glamour, excitement of flying", he added.
Riyadh Air, which is also considering a second wide-body plane order of either Boeing 777X or Airbus A350-1000 models, plans to introduce a first-class cabin on the extra-wide-body jet at a later stage.
"We're in a campaign at the moment to add a third aircraft type to our fleet ... and we'll end up with an extra-widebody," Mr Douglas said. "In the extra-wide-body aircraft, we will have a first-class product that we think will reset the expectation from first-class."
Riyadh Air in March 2023 placed an order for Boeing 787 wide-bodies, with the first of these to be used for its maiden flight this year. In October 2024, the airline ordered Airbus A321 Neo narrow-body planes to be delivered in the second half of 2026.
The airline is installing the Recaro R3 economy-class seat by German aircraft seat-maker Recaro on its 787s and narrow-bodies, Mr Douglas said.
Cabin features
Boasting privacy panels, lie-flat beds, large high-definition screens, mood lighting and high-speed wi-fi, the opulent business cabins are decked in a colour palette of deep purple, gold and veined stone, all designed to attract well-heeled travellers in a competitive Gulf market of industry heavyweights.
The business elite and business seats, organised in a one-two-one configuration, will feature fully flat beds with a length of 78 inches and width of 22.5 inches. Passengers will have more privacy with a 52-inch-high wall and sliding doors along with adjustable privacy dividers between centre seats.
Premium economy seating, in a two-three-two layout, features a seat pitch of 38 inches and width of 19.2 inches. While the economy cabin, in three-three-three, will have seats with a 31-inch pitch and width of 17.2 inches.
The cabins feature some of the largest touchscreens in the air, with 4K Oled technology, including 32-inch monitors in business elite, the airline said.
Riyadh Air loyalty members will have access to Viasat’s free on-board streaming, social scrolling, web browsing and gaming.
The unifying theme of all cabins is a twisting canopy design inspired by traditional Arabic tents that reflect Saudi Arabia's heritage.
Mr Douglas declined to reveal details about amenity kits, food menus and beverages on-board, which will be revealed later.
'Commercially sustainable' configuration
The design aims to make the most of cabin space, an easier task for Riyadh Air as a "no legacy" airline starting from scratch.
"We want to be financially sustainable so this is how you use real estate efficiently, as opposed to wasting a lot of space, which is where historically first-class went badly wrong for many airlines," Mr Douglas said. "It became a charitable act from a financial standpoint."
He declined to provide the size of investment in the cabin interiors and when the first Boeing 787 delivery is expected. The process for delivery is complicated as the aviation supply chain struggles with bottlenecks and delays.
"It certainly wasn't straightforward and it isn't with any of the seat manufacturers or Boeing or Airbus ... we've got seat schedules now," Mr Douglas said. "They're in production as we speak and we've got delivery schedules on these that correspond with the requirements of Boeing to deliver the aircraft to us."
Riyadh Air's focus on premium cabins comes amid an industry-wide belief that travellers will be more willing to pay for premium seats than they did before the Covid pandemic.
However, the decision to forgo first-class cabins on the 787s was a deliberate one, not unlike many airlines removing theirs before the pandemic. "If we had made these big first-class seats of old, we would have lost two or three rows of seats, and that's the difference between profitability and a loss-maker in commercial aviation," Mr Douglas said.
The focus for the start-up airline is sustainable growth as it seeks to connect to 100 destinations by 2030.
"We've literally analysed the economics to within an inch of its life in terms of how this becomes commercially sustainable against the network we deploy it on and what we believe will be the demand is for the three cabin classes we've got," Mr Douglas said. "That's what go us to this layout plan and we think it's commercially efficient."
The number of seats in the premium cabin is "absolutely the right ratio and I think there's going to be huge demand on this because of the size of the market in Saudi Arabia. I joke with my chief commercial officer that he's probably got the easiest job in the world for the first three or four years because everybody will want to fly in that suite, certainly very proud Saudis but many others as well," Mr Douglas said.
The airline, which is owned by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund, is part of Saudi Arabia's broader plan to attract affluent, high-spending tourists, rather than on mass volumes of travellers, according to Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb.
Saudi Arabia plans to become a travel hot spot, ploughing $800 billion in tourism investments to develop the sector and setting a revised target of attracting 150 million visitors by the end of the decade.
Riyadh Air recently received its Air Operator Certificate, took delivery of its first technical spare aircraft, and is set to announce the first of its routes and first flight date in the coming months, it said.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
ELECTION%20RESULTS
%3Cp%3EMacron%E2%80%99s%20Ensemble%20group%20won%20245%20seats.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20second-largest%20group%20in%20parliament%20is%20Nupes%2C%20a%20leftist%20coalition%20led%20by%20Jean-Luc%20Melenchon%2C%20which%20gets%20131%20lawmakers.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20far-right%20National%20Rally%20fared%20much%20better%20than%20expected%20with%2089%20seats.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20centre-right%20Republicans%20and%20their%20allies%20took%2061.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%207%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%93%203hrs%2029min%2042ses%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20%E2%80%93%2010sec%3Cbr%3E3.%20Geoffrey%20Bouchard%20(FRA)%20AG2R%20Citroen%20Team%20%E2%80%93%2042sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders%20%E2%80%93%2059se%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%9360sec%3Cbr%3ERed%20Jersey%20(General%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EGreen%20Jersey%20(Points%20Classification)%3A%20Tim%20Merlier%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EWhite%20Jersey%20(Young%20Rider%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EBlack%20Jersey%20(Intermediate%20Sprint%20Classification)%3A%20Edward%20Planckaert%20(FRA)%20Alpecin-Deceuninck%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Palestine and Israel - live updates
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Oppenheimer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Nolan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Blunt%2C%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr%2C%20Florence%20Pugh%2C%20Matt%20Damon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
