Riyadh Air inaugurated its first-ever commercial passenger flight on June 10, 2026, launching daily nonstop service between Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR, Terminal 4), as confirmed by Reuters and Aviation Week. The launch was brought forward three weeks from the original July 1 date after three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners — the airline's first factory-fitted aircraft — were delivered in early June, with the accelerated schedule announced on June 8, 2026 (AeroTime).
Flight RX401 departs Riyadh at 02:35, arriving Heathrow at 07:30; return flight RX402 departs at 09:35, landing Riyadh at 18:05. The 787-9 is configured with four cabin classes: Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. In-flight entertainment includes content from Disney+, HBO Max, and Arabic streaming platform Shahid via Panasonic Avionics' Astrova system, per The Independent.
Riyadh Air was founded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as a cornerstone of Vision 2030, targeting 100 international destinations within five years. The London slots were secured from the remedy pool created when British Airways acquired BMI. On the same day as the London launch, the airline opened ticket sales for five additional routes: Jeddah (June 14), Dubai (June 18), Cairo (June 25), Madrid (July 17), and Manchester (July 23), per One Mile at a Time. London Heathrow is the flagship route and the most commercially significant launch in Saudi aviation in decades.
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Things to do at each end of the route
Top-rated tours & experiences in Riyadh and London.