Riyadh Air to fly to Manila

Up and coming Saudi-based carrier Riyadh Air (RX) will soon add nonsstop flights from its base at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Manila starting September 9.  

Riyadh Air Boeing 787-9
Image source: Zima Savolainen / Wikimedia

Based on current flight schedules, flight RX873 departs Riyadh at 1.05 am and arrives in Manila at 3.55 pm.  Meanwhile, the return flight RX874 departs Manila at 5.25 pm and is expected to land in Riyadh at 10.15 pm.  The flight is going to operate daily and nonstop.  The flight going to be utilise a Boeing 787-9. 

Visa detta inlägg på Instagram

Ett inlägg delat av Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض (@riyadhair)

 

As for the onboard experience, it features Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins.  It offers a state-of-the-art in-flighe entertainment system by Panasonic Avionics (Astranova), mobile-first connectivity, and on-board dining.  Wifi is going to be complementary for its Sfeer loyalty programme members.

According to an airline representative "The new daily service to Manila reflects the expanding relationship between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines".  

Saudi Arabia is currently home to one of the largest communities of overseas filipino workers (OFWs) in the world.  This flight will provide more alternatives for OFWs to fly between the Middle East and the Philippines.  It also signals a new opportunity for cultural exchanges, leisure tourism, educational, and business travel.

This is also part of the carrier's push to consolidate Riyadh's position as an alternative hub for onward international connections across its expanding global network.  It currently flies to Jeddah, Dubai, and Cairo, as well as London-Heathrow, Manchester, Madrid, and Malaga.  It will also expand with flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amman soon.  It aims to have a network of over 100 destinations by 2030.

Riyadh Air is a sibling carrier to long-time flag carrier Saudia, which is currently based in Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport.  However, unlike Saudia which is a member of the Skyteam alliance, Riyadh Air management intends to keep the emerging sibling an independent carrier for the forseeable future, relying instead on bilateral partnerships for interline and codeshare arrangements.