Riyadh Air will launch four-weekly nonstop service between King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) starting December 16, 2026, making Italy the carrier's first new European market since it inaugurated London, Manchester and Madrid.
Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays aboard the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which seats 290 passengers across economy, premium economy and business class cabins. Outbound flight RX519 departs Riyadh at 02:45, arriving in Milan at 07:05; the return RX520 leaves Malpensa at 09:55 and lands in Riyadh at 17:15, according to the filed schedule reviewed by AeroRoutes.
The route is notable because Italy did not appear on Riyadh Air's publicly shared list of 15 potential destinations published earlier this year, according to Simple Flying. The airline chose Milan — the country's fashion and design capital — ahead of Rome, making it the eighth destination in Riyadh Air's overall network. Reservations opened on September 21, the day the service was announced.
The new service gives passengers from Saudi Arabia a direct option to northern Italy, connecting the King Khalid hub with onward rail access into central Milan via the Malpensa Express. Riyadh Air was established as Saudi Arabia's second national carrier to help diversify the country's economy and grow international air connectivity, and the Milan addition continues a pattern of European expansion since the carrier's launch.
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