Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air has continued to grow its network by adding three new destinations across Asia.
Daily flights to Islamabad will begin on August 14, split between afternoon departures on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and evening services on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Lahore follows on August 18 with three weekly rotations, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A daily Manila connection will launch on September 9.
All three routes will be flown by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The Islamabad and Lahore services are intended to serve business, leisure, family and labour traffic between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, serving Saudi Arabia’s large Pakistani expatriate community. Manila will similarly target the established Filipino community, alongside growing commercial, educational and tourism links between the two countries.
The announcement came as Riyadh Air launched its daily Mumbai service on August 4, making the Indian financial centre its eighth operational destination since full commercial services began with London/Heathrow on June 10. The additions will increase its network to 11 routes once Manila begins. The airline has announced further destinations that have yet to launch.
Riyadh Air currently has eight Boeing 787-9s in its fleet. The Public Investment Fund-owned carrier is building towards a network of more than 100 destinations by 2030. The expansion is supporting Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 strategy to develop tourism, aviation and non-oil economic activity.
