RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air has signed a global distribution agreement with Amadeus to expand its international footprint, connecting to more than 190 travel markets ahead of its commercial launch.
The deal links the Public Investment Fund-owned carrier to one of the world’s largest networks of travel sellers via the Amadeus Travel Platform, boosting its retail capabilities and global reach.
The partnership is expected to support the Kingdom’s National Aviation Strategy, which targets doubling passenger capacity to 330 million annually from over 250 global destinations and increasing cargo handling to 4.5 million tonnes by the end of this decade.
Announced in 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Riyadh Air is expected to contribute over $20 billion to the non-oil gross domestic product and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
In a statement, Vincent Coste, chief commercial officer of the airline, said: “Partnering with Amadeus gives us the global reach, distribution power, and retailing capabilities needed to support our goal of flying to over 100 destinations by 2030.”
