When Saudi Arabia unveiled plans in 2023 for a new airline that could take on regional champions Emirates and Qatar Airways, the aviation industry was back in full swing after the pandemic, with packed planes driving fares higher and lifting profits to a record.
What followed for Riyadh Air was a race to build an operation from scratch, from ordering aircraft and designing sleek purple uniforms to training hundreds of pilots and cabin crew. Invariably, not everything went smoothly. Plane deliveries, in particular, got pushed back several times because of certification issues, forcing the airline to delay its launch, now slated for sometime this year.
As a result, Riyadh Air now finds itself in the difficult position of having to start commercial operations at a time when the United States/Israel war on Iran has thrown the aviation industry off balance, and nowhere more so than in the Gulf.
Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have had to cancel tens of thousands of flights, rework their entire route network, and accommodate to lower demand amid constant disruptions.
The Saudi carrier was initially supposed to start taking delivery of the Boeing 787 jets in 2025. But more than a year later, only about a handful of the wide-body aircraft have been assembled and are still awaiting certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
That final approval from the FAA has dragged on several months longer than previously expected, according to people familiar with the matter. The agency has not provided a fresh timeline for the process or informed Riyadh Air of when it might be able to operate those planes, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are confidential.
The airline said “there has been significant technical work accomplished to ensure readiness of our aircraft and seven planes are currently fully built and are at the final stages of certification”.
“Riyadh Air has full confidence in the imminent arrival of these aircraft, enabling the start of flights in the very near future,” the company said in a statement.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the FAA said safety dictates certification timelines and declined to comment on pending projects.
If the jets were to get delivered in the coming weeks, it would set up one of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s most important projects for a potentially difficult start. Neighbouring carriers in the Gulf have struggled to rebuild their network after the war caused an upheaval in the industry and attacks on a number of Arab nations upended the airlines’ flight schedules and brought operations to a halt at some of the world’s busiest airports.
Emirates, the world’s largest international carrier, has only been able to recover 75% of its capacity. Qatar Airways, Bahrain’s Gulf Air, Flydubai and Air Arabia have been running internal checks to identify areas where they can cut costs, Bloomberg reported in March.
Riyadh Air signed deals for at least 39 Boeing 787-9 models, with options for 33 more, along with over 100 narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from Airbus SE.
The carrier has yet to receive any aircraft from either manufacturer and has rented one Boeing 787 jet to operate a shuttle service from Riyadh to London Heathrow Airport.
Aircraft have to pass several stages of certification, and each plane with a new interior design has to be inspected by the FAA to ensure all the additions, like business class sliding doors or chair materials, are fit for flying.
Riyadh Air’s business-class cabin features privacy panels, lie-flat seats, mood lighting and large screens as the airline looks to lure luxury – leaning travellers away from Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Deutsche Lufthansa has also suffered from certification delays in its business cabin, having had to cordon off almost the entire premium section for months.
The relationship between Boeing and the FAA came under strain in the wake of the 737 Max safety crises, prompting regulators to take a more cautious approach to certifications. Delays have also extended to other programmes, including the Boeing 777X model. – Bloomberg
