Riyadh Air Gets U.S. Foreign Carrier Permit, Targets East Coast

The U.S. Department of Transportation has tentatively approved Riyadh Air to operate flights between the United States and Saudi Arabia, the agency said Tuesday. The order, signed June 16, also grants the carrier a two-year exemption that takes effect immediately while the full foreign air carrier permit is finalized.

"We tentatively find and conclude that the public interest warrants granting the applicant a foreign air carrier permit," the DOT order read, according to Skift. The carrier had filed its application on May 5. DOT also concluded that Riyadh Air "has demonstrated…that it is financially and operationally qualified," Aviation Week reported.

The approval lands as Riyadh Air, an upstart carrier backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, ramps its international map. The airline operated its inaugural international flight to London Heathrow on June 10 and began domestic service to Jeddah on June 14, per Aviation Week. The carrier's published rollout covers Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid and Manchester, with more cities promised "in the coming weeks." CEO Tony Douglas has previously said he wants the airline on the U.S. East Coast.

Fleet-wise, the carrier operates five Boeing 787-9s and has 35 more 787-9s on order with another 33 options, along with firm orders for 60 Airbus A321neos and 25 A350-1000s. The airline's stated target is more than 100 destinations by 2030. Riyadh Air also recently joined the International Air Transport Association, per the same report.

What this means for remote workers and nomads

For nomads, a new long-haul entrant matters less for what it announces today than for the price pressure it puts on existing carriers tomorrow. The U.S.-to-Gulf corridor has been one of the more pricing-stable long-haul markets for years, dominated by a small set of established Middle Eastern carriers. A well-funded third option backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund — with a confirmed 787-9 fleet and a published target of triple-digit destinations — is exactly the kind of capacity shock that softens fares on connecting itineraries through Riyadh to South Asia and East Africa.

There's still no inaugural U.S. route on the board, and "the coming weeks" is doing a lot of work in the announcement. Aviation Week noted the carrier has already absorbed multiple aircraft delivery delays that pushed back its broader commercial launch. For travelers planning Q4 itineraries through the Gulf, the practical move is to wait for the route map to publish before re-routing — but to start watching, because a new long-haul U.S. competitor is rare. For nomads currently basing out of Southeast Asia, one-stop Saudi routings could become the cheapest path home by year-end.

Sources

• "Riyadh Air Gets Green Light to Operate in U.S." — Skift — https://skift.com/2026/06/16/riyadh-air-gets-green-light-to-operate-in-u-s/ (accessed 2026-06-17)

• "Riyadh Air Wins Approval For U.S. Operations" — Aviation Week — https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/riyadh-air-wins-approval-us-operations (accessed 2026-06-17)