The airline ordered 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in March
Riyadh Air, the second national carrier to be launched by Saudi Arabia, has been assigned its airline designator code at the ongoing annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association, the association that brings together global airlines.
The code assigned by IATA to Riyadh Air is RX. The code was assigned at the 79th IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit, that began in Istanbul in Turkiye on Sunday. At the summit, the airline made its first public appearance since it began operations, with Tony Douglas, CEO, and an official Riyadh Air delegation in attendance.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to be on the ground at the IATA AGM. The Riyadh Air team is able to meet with industry stakeholders and experts to discuss safe, efficient and technologically advanced topics in the global air travel industry,” said Douglas, who was earlier CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, and was recently named the CEO of RX.
Douglas added that by 2030, Riyadh Air will connect the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to more than 100 locations worldwide from its main hub and base of operations there. According to the airline, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Riyadh Air will be a full-service, digitally native carrier that will lead the way in new technologies and innovations while providing travellers with a genuine and hospitable Saudi experience, says a press statement by the airline.
“We are delighted to announce that we have obtained “RX” as our IATA code, which will be on every touchpoint that our guests see as they take flight with us. The code reflects our ambition to be a digitally led airline, having the connection of innovation and state-of-the-art technology. Riyadh Air has made another strategic milestone towards its operations in 2025, and we are so excited for our guests to be able to travel to over 100 destinations with our code on their bag tags, booking documents and digital services,” Douglas said.
Operations of the airline are expected to commence in early 2025. The airline ordered 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in March, and it is anticipated that it would order up to 150 Boeing 737 Max planes in the near future, says the airline.
The statement adds that IATA codes are considered an integral part of the travel industry and the commercial organisation of air transportation of passengers and cargo. They are essential for the identification of an airline, international bookings and in the work of ground service teams at airports.
Since the airline’s launch in March 2023, careers web page has received job applications from over 300,000 applicants across 182 countries around the world, it adds.
