Riyadh Air confirms A321neo lie-flat business class

The Gulf startup will join other airlines in embracing business class beds on single-aisle jets.

By David Flynn, November 11 2024
Riyadh Air confirms A321neo lie-flat business class

New Saudi Arabian flag carrier Riyadh Air will add flatbed business class suites to its forthcoming Airbus A321neo jets, complementing the airlineā€™s touted ā€˜Mercedes Maybachā€™ 787 business class.

Itā€™s part of a strategic play for premium travellers when Riyadh Air takes to the skies from mid-2025, although for the first 18 months even its shortest routes will be served by the Boeing 787s ā€“ which will also sport a premium economy offering which CEO Tony Douglas describes to Executive Traveller as ā€œā€˜business minusā€™ as opposed to ā€˜economy plusā€™.ā€

But in late 2026, Douglas will collect the keys to the first of 60 new Airbus A321neo jets which will dominate the startupā€™s routes across the Middle East, into Europe and beyond.

Douglas says the single-aisle fleetā€™s business class cabin will be split between conventional recliners for short-range hops and ā€œa second layout plan for longer range deployments.ā€

ā€œAnd I believe that consistency with the product offering weā€™ve got would necessitate a lie-flat option on that.ā€

Speaking with UK blog Head for Points at Londonā€™s recent World Travel Market, Douglas explained the 60-strong Airbus order would be split between different models of the A321neo family, with the likelihood that those business class beds would feature on the long-legged A321LR or A321XLR.

As airlines embrace the extended-range A321neo variants for flights of up to ten hours, an increasing number see lie-flat business class seats and suites as a competitive cornerstone of passenger comfort.

Those include JetBlue, TAP Portugal, Iberia and Starlux, with Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways ā€“ both of which are regional rivals to Riyadh Air ā€“ soon to follow.

Competing with Qatar Airways, Emirates

And Douglas believes Saudi Arabia has plenty of pent-up demand for Riyadh Air.

ā€œThe population of the city of Riyadh alone is three and a half times more than the whole of the population of Qatar (and) at the moment, I think the number one flow on Qatar Airways, on business or first, is Saudi passport holders.ā€

ā€œWeā€™re not trying to create a market that doesnā€™t exist, ā€œ Douglas reasons.

ā€œWeā€™re trying to actually serve a market that, at the moment, has to use the likes of Qatar Airways and Emiratesā€ to connect onto major international routes.ā€

Riyadh Airā€™s global network will extend to ā€œwell over 100 destinations,ā€ Douglas tells Executive Traveller.

ā€œWithin the first five years youā€™ll then see pretty much every capital city within Europe, all the big capital cities within the Far East, most of the big capital cities within Central Asia, obviously within our own region of the Gulf, the Indian subcontinent for very obvious reasons as well, and the eastern seaboard of North America.ā€

But itā€™ll take time to reach that target of 100+ destinations, and this is where ā€“ especially in the early years ā€“ Riyadh Air will rely on a portfolio of ā€œstrategic partnersā€.

That roster already includes the likes of Air China, China Eastern, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Riyadh Air intends to fly to Australia and New Zealand, Douglas confirms, ā€œbut in the early days we certainly wonā€™t have the fleet and maybe not the flowā€ to connect to both countries.

ā€œSo in the early stage of building our network, weā€™re more likely to put on a ā€˜thick routeā€™ into Singapore, giving people a wonderful guest experience on Riyadh Air ā€“ and on an RX codeshare ticket, the final leg (to Australia or New Zealand) on an equally incredible product and experience with Singapore Airlines.ā€

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

25 Feb 2017

Total posts 18

I assume they are going to be a dry airline - which may be a deterrent for premium pax.  Love their beautiful livery though.

01 Dec 2012

Total posts 69

The more that other airlines fit lie-flat J seats to their A321 LRs and XLRs, the more the pressure on Qantas to do likewise for their second tranche of A321s for international duties.


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