Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) handed over the operational certificate to Riyadh Air, a major milestone in the progress of the new national carrier of the Kingdom.
Riyadh Airways received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, and in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Saleh Al-Jasser, during an official ceremony held at King Khalid International Airport today, in a new pivotal step towards the launch of its operations.
Riyadh Air said in a social media post,
"We are officially licensed and ready for takeoff
#RiyadhAir has received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from H.E. the President of GACA, with H.E. the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services in attendance at the official ceremony held today in Riyadh."
Air Operator Certificate is granted only after fulfilling many requirements and standards, including technical, administrative, financial and operational audits, which ensures the entity's compliance with international and local standards related to aviation safety and security, and no air carrier can start its operations without this accreditation, which usually comes after the establishment stage and what it includes from the purchase of aircraft, the qualification of crews, the preparation of operational policies, and the preparation of infrastructure.
The idea of granting official certificates and permits dates back to the thirties of the last century with the development of the aviation industry, and when the world realized the need to regulate the new industry, the Chicago Convention in 1944 AD formed the cornerstone of international civil aviation legislation, and resulted in the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of the United Nations.
The agreement included a set of legal and legislative frameworks that regulate air traffic between countries, such as aircraft registration, airworthiness, pilots and air traffic controller licenses, aviation security, passenger rights, environmental protection, airport readiness, and many legislations and subsidiaries, and on the basis of these legislations, each country builds its local regulations through national authorities, which are responsible for licensing and supervising the compliance of airlines, air navigation service providers, airports and ground handling companies with international standards, as well as approving aviation plans. And the issuance of transit and landing permits and others.
The "operating license" is the basis from which any airline starts, from here Sunday, April 6, 2025 is the first practical step to become Riyadh Air a global national carrier, within an ambitious vision that seeks to make the Saudi capital a global logistics center.
With the acquisition of the operational license, "Riyadh Air" enters the actual launch phase on the ground, where it begins the implementation of test flights aimed at testing operational and field readiness, in preparation for the official announcement of the start of commercial flights and the opening of reservations, followed by the gradual expansion of destinations with continuous review and periodic evaluation of the performance of operations.
Despite the important start, the road may not be without challenges, most notably the delay in the delivery of some aircraft as a result of global supply chain problems, in addition to the global shortage of pilots and technicians, as well as the stages associated with the completion of the King Salman International Airport project, which is supposed to be the main gateway for Riyadh Aviation and complete its operational system.
"Riyadh Aviation" is not just a new airline; it is a strategic project and a national cultural interface, which will be a key element in redrawing the features of the regional air scene during the next decade, to put Riyadh on aviation maps as a primary destination rather than a transit station.
For his part, the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation indicated that the stages of issuing the license went through a series of procedures, starting with the initial discussions, passing through the submission of the official application, reviewing the operational manuals, evaluation and inspection, leading to the final approval, and the work of a team consisting of 10 national competencies in various disciplines of inspectors and experts of the General Authority of Civil Aviation over a period of 11 months to grant the license, and the tasks included: Supervising the implementation of more than 200 test flight hours, in addition to following up on training and qualification programs aimed at training and qualifying Riyadh Airways crew, in order to ensure compliance with the highest operational standards and achieve the highest levels of safety.
The CEO of Riyadh Air said:
"Obtaining the Air Operator Certificate is one of the important steps in the company's journey, and it is the result of the efforts of many of its employees and we are ready to start our operations later in 2025."
On September 12, 2024, Riyadh Airways announced the start of test flights to obtain an air operator license, as the first test flights of Riyadh Air started from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh heading to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, within the framework of meeting the requirements of the General Authority of Civil Aviation to obtain an air operator certificate.
The establishment of "Riyad Air" comes in line with the KSA-Public Investment Fund's strategy to unlock the potential of promising sectors locally to support the diversification of the economy, as the air carrier will contribute to achieving the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy and supporting the National Tourism Strategy by providing more opportunities for tourists and visitors from all over the world to reach the most beautiful tourist and natural sites in the Kingdom, and enhancing the position of the capital Riyadh as a prominent and vital center for business in the world, increasing air transport options, and raising the capacity of cargo, which would Increase international passenger traffic.
Riyadh Air is planned to operate flights to more than 100 international destinations by 2030 and has placed orders for more than 132 aircraft, which will contribute to the creation of more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs in the aviation sector, in addition to an expected contribution of 75 billion riyals to the Kingdom's non-oil GDP.
