Riyadh Air has operated its first nonstop flight between King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in the Saudi capital and Manchester (MAN), England.
The new route, launched on September 17, 2026, will see thrice-weekly service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and will be operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft fitted with 290 seats in a three-cabin configuration (28 seats in business, including four designated as “Business Elite” seats, 39 in premium economy and 223 in economy).
Manchester has now become the second destination in the United Kingdom to be served by the new Saudi flag following the launch of regular commercial services between Riyadh and London-Heathrow (LHR) in June 2026. Riyadh Air had operated a number of services to the UK capital since October 2025, but these were not available commercially to the general public.
Since the start of its regular operations, Riyadh Air has been progressively rolling out new routes across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. As of September 17, 2026, Riyadh Air links the Saudi capital directly to 14 destinations: London-Heathrow (LHR), Jeddah (JED), Dubai (DXB), Cairo (CAI), Madrid (MAD), Manchester (MAN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Dhaka (DAC), Mumbai (BOM), Islamabad (ISB), Lahore (LHE), Bangkok (BKK), Manila (MNL).
Málaga (AGP), Spain, was also served seasonally between July 14 and September 8, 2026.