Tata Group-owned Air India and newly launched Saudi Arabia's national carrier Riyadh Air have signed an initial agreement for codeshare partnership and interline arrangement. The memorandum of understanding, announced on June 4, aims to establish the foundation for a partnership that will offer air travellers seamless connections between India, Saudi Arabia, and destinations beyond, leveraging the geographical advantages of their hubs in Delhi, Mumbai, and Riyadh. The agreement lays the groundwork for potential interline and codeshare arrangements, subject to regulatory approvals, allowing passengers to travel across both airlines' networks on a single booking with streamlined onward connections through their respective hubs. The partnership is intended to strengthen travel links between two of the fastest-growing aviation markets and support rising demand for business, tourism, and family travel between India and Saudi Arabia.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Air India and Riyadh Air intend to introduce interline and codeshare arrangements that will enable customers to travel seamlessly across each other's networks with the convenience of a single booking and smoother onward connections via their respective hubs. The partnership supports growing demand for travel linked to business, tourism, and family visits, reflecting the deep economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties between Saudi Arabia and India. The MoU paves the way for codeshares, seamless travel, and wider network access for flyers, offering air travellers seamless connections between India, Saudi Arabia, and destinations beyond. While this agreement sets an ambitious framework, travellers should anticipate a gradual introduction of the enhanced services, with codeshare flights, ticketing platforms, and coordinated schedules rolling out over the coming months. Passengers are advised to monitor airline booking portals and explore premium travel offerings with combined loyalty benefits where available.
Under the proposed arrangement, passengers will be able to access smoother onward connections through Air India's hubs in Delhi and Mumbai and Riyadh Air's hub in Riyadh. The collaboration is specifically designed to expand travel options and improve connections to global destinations, supporting growing demand for business, tourism, and family travel between the two countries. The airlines will also explore collaboration across a range of areas, including reciprocal loyalty programme benefits, cargo services, operational support and digital and technology initiatives designed to enhance the customer experience. This comprehensive approach aims to unlock the complementary strengths of both airlines to offer guests more choice across their combined networks, with the partnership reflecting the growing aviation relationship between India and Saudi Arabia which continue to witness increasing travel demand driven by economic ties, tourism and people-to-people connections.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, emphasized that India and Saudi Arabia are two important growth markets in global aviation today, stating that "India and Saudi Arabia are two important growth markets in global aviation today, and the scale and momentum in both countries make this a natural partnership. We look forward to working with Riyadh Air to bring together complementary strengths of the two airlines to unlock that opportunity with a focus on offering our guests more choice across our combined networks and elevating their travel experiences." Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, described India as one of the world's most important and dynamic aviation markets and said the agreement represented an important step in Riyadh Air's mission to connect Saudi Arabia with key global destinations. "India is one of the most important and dynamic aviation markets in the world, and this partnership with Air India marks a defining step in Riyadh Air's mission to connect Saudi Arabia with key global destinations. Together, we will offer guests a seamless, world-class experience that reflects the deep cultural and economic bonds shared between our two nations."
The announcement comes as Riyadh Air prepares to begin commercial operations, with the airline recently opening bookings for its inaugural route to London Heathrow, with flights scheduled to begin on July 1. According to the airlines, the new London route will provide Indian travellers with additional connectivity to the United Kingdom and Europe through Riyadh, further expanding travel options for business, leisure and family visits. The agreement is expected to strengthen aviation links between India and Saudi Arabia while supporting broader economic and tourism cooperation between the two countries, with the partnership subject to regulatory approvals and a gradual rollout of enhanced services over the coming months. The agreement reflects the growing importance of the India-Gulf aviation corridor, one of the fastest-growing travel markets globally, driven by business, tourism, labour mobility and diaspora traffic.
