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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s popularity among Saudi travellers, coupled with strong pilgrimage and business traffic in the opposite direction, is giving the country an edge as Saudi Arabia deepens its aviation and tourism links with Southeast Asia.
The strength of that two-way traffic was a key reason Kuala Lumpur became Riyadh Air’s first destination in Southeast Asia, according to the Saudi carrier’s chief commercial officer Vincent Coste.
“Kuala Lumpur is a great destination because you have a lot of point-to-point traffic, with Saudis going to Malaysia for leisure. Malaysia is one of the top destinations for Saudi travellers.
“You also have traffic from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia, the Hajj and Umrah traffic, and business between the two countries,” he told Business Times in a recent interview.
The connection is expected to strengthen further as Saudi Arabia expands its tourism industry under Vision 2030, giving Malaysians more reasons to visit the Kingdom beyond pilgrimage and business.
Riyadh Air started three weekly flights between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur on July 30 using Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Coste said early demand had exceeded expectations despite tickets going on sale with a relatively short lead time, with Saudi travellers accounting for a significant part of the interest.
“I was very happily surprised. We started selling it with a short lead time, and we already see strong demand picking up, with a lot of Saudis. That confirms our assumption that Saudis love Malaysia,” he said.
BUILDING RIYADH AS A TRANSIT HUB
Beyond serving the sizeable direct market between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Air ultimately wants Kuala Lumpur to feed into a much broader network through the Saudi capital.
That puts the airline into competition with established Middle Eastern carriers that have spent years turning Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi into major transit points for travellers between Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Coste said Riyadh Air must first build sufficient scale across its network before it can attract a larger share of transit passengers through Riyadh.
The airline is also working with the Saudi Tourism Authority to develop offers aimed at making the capital more attractive to connecting travellers.
Unlike some competing Gulf hubs, however, Riyadh has a sizeable domestic market of its own, giving the airline a substantial base of passengers whose journeys begin or end in the Saudi capital.
“The big difference we have compared with our big neighbours is this point-to-point traffic because we are a city of almost nine million people, which is massive,” Coste said.
For now, the airline is focusing on passengers who begin or end their journeys in Riyadh, including travellers who currently connect through other Gulf hubs.
Coste said that focus will gradually shift as Riyadh Air adds more destinations and develops a wider connecting network.
“At the end of the day, that is the purpose of Riyadh Air – to connect Riyadh to the rest of the world in preparation for Expo 2030 and the World Cup. There is a lot happening in the country, and our airline is there to serve this purpose,” he added.
The airline plans to serve more than 100 destinations by 2030.
Riyadh Air first took to the skies between Riyadh and London Heathrow on Oct 26, 2025, under its “Pathway to Perfect” preparatory programme, with the flights initially available to select groups rather than the general public.
It began full commercial international operations to London on June 10 this year, followed by its first domestic route to Jeddah on June 14.
The network has since expanded to Dubai, Cairo, Madrid, Manchester, Malaga, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Dhaka, Islamabad and Lahore.
Riyadh Air launched services to Dubai on June 18 and Cairo on June 25, while Madrid followed on July 17. Kuala Lumpur joined the network on July 30, followed by Mumbai on Aug 4 and Dhaka on Aug 7. Islamabad services started on Aug 14 and Lahore on Aug 18.
The airline is set to expand its Asian network next month with three weekly flights to Bangkok starting on Sept 2 and daily Manila services from Sept 9.
MIDDLE EAST CHALLENGES SEEN AS TEMPORARY
Riyadh Air is also expanding at a time when concerns over the situation in the Middle East have affected travel across parts of the region.
Coste said the airline views the current situation as temporary and continues to monitor developments in the region daily.
“Obviously, we are here for the long run. What is happening in the Middle East is a temporary situation. In our mind, we are here for the next 100 years, so we consider this a temporary hurdle,” he said.
He also said the airline had not experienced any operational disruptions and did not expect problems for passengers travelling to Riyadh with the carrier.
Most of Riyadh Air’s passengers currently travel directly to Riyadh, with connecting passengers still accounting for a relatively small share of its traffic.
That balance is expected to change as the airline expands its network.
When asked if Riyadh Air is offering something similar to its Middle Eastern competitors, such as insurance for delayed or cancelled flights, Coste said the carrier would take care of its passengers and compensate them should there be any changes to its flights.
“We are not currently offering something similar because the share of our connecting traffic remains very minimal. Most of our passengers are flying to Riyadh.
“But in case of delays, in case of flight cancellation, which has not happened yet, if it happens, obviously we will make sure passengers are taken care of and rightly compensated,” he said.
MORE AIRCRAFT TO SUPPORT GROWTH
Riyadh Air is also building up its fleet around Boeing B787 Dreamliners, Airbus A321neos (new engine option) and A350-1000s as it expands towards its target of more than 100 destinations by 2030.
Its first aircraft order was announced in March 2023, shortly after the airline itself was unveiled.
Riyadh Air initially placed a firm order for 39 B787-9 Dreamliners with options for another 33 aircraft, giving it a commitment for up to 72 Dreamliners.
The airline expanded that commitment at the recent Farnborough International Airshow in July this year, announcing plans to exercise options for another 28 B787s from the original order.
Riyadh Air received its first two factory-new B787-9s in early June and had taken delivery of six aircraft by July.
Coste said the airline expects to have slightly more than 10 aircraft by the end of this year.
He added that the Dreamliners will continue to support larger and longer-haul markets.
“Our core is the 72 Dreamliners. That is our starting fleet, which will be complemented starting early next year with the A321s,” he said.
Riyadh Air’s narrowbody fleet will come from Airbus. The carrier placed a firm order for 60 A321neo family aircraft in October 2024, marking its first order with the European planemaker.
The airline expects the first A321neos to arrive towards the end of this year before entering service in early 2027.
Coste said the single-aisle aircraft will be used mainly on regional routes, including markets in the Gulf and Indian subcontinent.
He added that the A321neos would also allow Riyadh Air to start routes where traffic may initially be too thin for a widebody, before moving to a larger aircraft as demand grows.
Riyadh Air added another Airbus type to its fleet plan at the Paris Airshow in June 2025, placing a firm order for 25 A350-1000s with purchase rights for another 25.
At the Farnborough International Airshow this year, the airline firmed up six more A350-1000s from that earlier commitment, taking its firm order for the type to 31 aircraft.
Coste said new aircraft will continue arriving regularly as Riyadh Air grows, with one or two aircraft arriving each month until 2031.
“Next year, we will continue receiving one or two aircraft every month for the next five years,” he said.
DATE . 26 / Aug/2026