RIYADH AIR: New aviation deal with Saudi Arabia puts passennger flight on Australia’s horizon

Saudi Arabia has signed a new aviation agreement with Australia, opening the way for direct flights into Avalon in Victoria and Toowoomba Wellcamp in Queensland.

The first flights are likely to be freight, chilled meat, seafood and dairy and not business class suites.

But this raises the possiblity that Riyadh Air will fly to Australia. And I’m talking passengers and not cargo.

The new Saudi carrier, backed by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is being built as a premium hub airline to challenge Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad. Australia is not on its confirmed route map yet, but given the new agreement with the Saudi’s is now a possibility.

The agreement opens the door

As reported by Ayesha de Kretser in The Australian Financial Review, the agreement gives Saudi Arabia a direct aviation pathway into Australia beyond the usual capital-city suspects.

Avalon, near Geelong, and Toowoomba Wellcamp, west of Brisbane, are freight-friendly airports, with less curfew pain and proximity to regional export markets.

The trade relationship between Australia and Saudi Arabia is worth AU$2.7 billion. Trade Minister Don Farrell was in Riyadh in January to improve co-operation, including aviation. Aviation agreements often start with freight and end up with passengers.

Riyadh Air is for passengers

Riyadh Air is positioned as a new premium carrier designed to turn Riyadh into an international hub. Same playbook as Emirates in Dubai, Qatar Airways in Doha, and Etihad in Abu Dhabi.

Its early network planning included London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Madrid, Manchester, Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila, Mumbai, Jeddah and Cairo. Its launch destinations are fewer than the aspirational list but include London and the United Arab Emirates. You can read the post on the launch destinations.

Separate slot filings for northern summer 2026 point to a wider 15-destination launch network, though filings are not the same as bookable flights. The main constraint will be aircraft delivery.

The ambition is not subtle. Riyadh Air says it wants more than 100 destinations by 2030. Australia would be a logical long-haul prize.

Sydney or Melbourne would make the most sense

If Riyadh Air comes to Australia, Sydney and Melbourne are the obvious first candidates.

Both already support substantial Gulf airline capacity. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad have proved Australians will use Middle Eastern hubs (unless there is a war on) for one-stop journeys to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Riyadh Air wants Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to join that list.

Its Boeing 787-9s have the range to reach Australia, or even Auckland, New Zealand. It’s likely that the airline will first build through Asian gateways such as Singapore before attempting direct flights to Australia.

That would be sensible. Singapore gives Riyadh Air a premium market, a familiar transit point and potential feed towards Australia and New Zealand.

A direct Riyadh–Sydney or Riyadh–Melbourne service would be more ambitious, needing aircraft range, premium demand, freight, onward connections and enough Saudi-bound traffic to make the numbers work.

Another one-stop route to Europe

For Australian travellers, more competition on the kangaroo route means better frequencies and lower prices.

Riyadh has already struck a strategic partnership with Delta Air Lines in the United States and is talking up premium cabins, high-speed Wi-Fi and a digitally led passenger experience.

There are caveats, however. Saudi Arabia is a different transit proposition from Dubai, Doha or Singapore. Riyadh Air is a dry airline, which will matter to some travellers. Saudi Arabia is pushing its tourism goals, but the country still carries conservative cultural, political and social considerations that travellers will have to weigh up.

Still, Australians once needed convincing about Doha. Now, despite some outrageous offensiveness to women, Qatar Airways is a default option for many Europe-bound travellers.

2PAXfly Takeout

The Saudi aviation agreement is not an announcement of Riyadh Air’s launch. Nobody should start hunting for Sydney–Riyadh reward seats just yet.

But it does put Saudi Arabia more firmly on Australia’s aviation map. Not tomorrow, but maybe before the end of the decade.

Another one-stop route to Europe would be useful, especially if it pressures fares and premium cabin pricing. Whether Australians warm to Riyadh as a transit hub will depend on schedules, price, loyalty partnerships, onboard service and comfort with Saudi Arabia as a stopover.