Saudi Arabia's newest national airline, , recently revealed its intention to begin certification flights in September this year in advance of its launch, which is currently slated for the summer of 2025. This marks the latest step in the carrier's journey to begin operations, highlighted by an order for Boeing 787s last year. In addition, as reported by Simple Flying earlier this month, the carrier also in the near future.
An essential part of an airline's journey to launch is the obtention of an air operator's certificate. The airline must prove itself and its operational capabilities through certification flights to get it. Riyadh Air plans to do so between September and November.
The carrier has also said that it has hired 38 pilots, including instructors, in the lead-up to these. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas revealed this week at the Future Aviation Forum: “We now have our first group of pilots who’ve joined us. So we’ve got over 30 instructor pilots, so they’re the highest qualified pilots you can get, from lots of different international airlines.
They’re of course engaged with us at this stage to assist with our certification flying. And we’ll start our certification flying in September of this year. So literally months away now.
” The executive also revealed that earlier this week, the carrier's third batch of cabin crew had started with them. In stark contrast to low-cost airlines, for example, Riyadh Air emphasizes the quality and style of its cabin crew.