Riyadh Air completes inaugural domestic flight to Jeddah

Dhaka: Saudi Arabia's new national airline Riyadh Air has completed its first domestic commercial flight, operating between the capital Riyadh and Jeddah on June 14.

One of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners departed Riyadh King Khalid International Airport at 9:18 am and landed at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport shortly before 10:20 am.

The aircraft, registered HZ-RXAC, had recently arrived from Everett Paine Field in the United States along with three other new Dreamliners. It was the airline's third 787-9 to roll off the Boeing assembly line, arriving after an almost 14-hour delivery flight on June 6.

Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, attended a special ceremony marking the inaugural domestic flight.

Earlier, Riyadh Air launched international operations on June 10, with its maiden service to London Heathrow Airport.

The airline is set to expand further in the coming weeks. Flights to Dubai begin June 18, followed by Cairo on June 25. Services to Madrid and Manchester are scheduled for July 17 and July 23, respectively. All five routes will be operated by its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.