Fresh off the historic launch of its very first commercial international service to London earlier this month, Riyadh Air has cleared its most significant regulatory hurdle yet in its bid for global aviation relevance, and been granted access to arrange US operations.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has formally granted the Saudi startup carrier approval to operate passenger and cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and the United States, with industry rumours suggesting New York will be one of the first ports of call. Following a swift administrative turnaround after the airline's initial application in May, the official approval order on Tuesday, June 16 confirms that introducing Riyadh Air to the competitive transatlantic sector is firmly consistent with the public interest.

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Riyadh Air via Zawya

This clearance and approval removes a massive strategic bottleneck in the airline's intentional expansion plans, and clears a definitive pathway for the carrier to deploy its rapidly growing fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners into one of the world's most lucrative and symbolically crucial aviation markets.

While the newly acquired authorisation does not mean scheduled US flights will take off tomorrow, it allows Riyadh Air's Chief Executive Officer, Tony Douglas, and his commercial team to formally advance operational timetables, secure airport slots, and begin ticketing preparations for highly prioritised North American destinations, particularly across the East Coast.

This decision by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) establishes a critical path for Riyadh Air’s ambitious blueprint to connect the Saudi capital city to more than 100 international destinations by 2030. Having access to the United States changes the commercial strategy and opportunity for the new airline. Not only does this approval open direct channels to massive corporate and leisure markets, but it also provides the legal prerequisite needed to finalise and deepen high-level strategic partnerships. The new Saudi national carrier has already laid the groundwork for extensive long-haul connectivity through a major partnership framework with Delta Air Lines.

New York City via unsplash jonathan-roger

New York City via unsplash oualid-lakhrouti

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International Expansion, A New Airline & Vision 2030

Aviation remains a key enabler of Saudi Arabia's ultra-luxury lifestyle and hospitality push. Riyadh Air's rapid scaling has already seen the airline announce a wave of regional and European routes, including scheduled services to Dubai, Jeddah, Cairo, Madrid, Manchester, and London. With the US foreign air carrier permit now officially secured, the airline's distinct indigo-and-lavender Dreamliners are successfully positioned to expand their footprint far beyond Europe and the Middle East, bridging the transatlantic gap to North America ahead of schedule.

Driven by the goal to diversify the Kingdom's economy beyond oil, the state-backed carrier is tasked with transforming Riyadh into a premier global transit, tourism, and logistics hub, supporting critical pillars of Saudi Arabia's broader Vision 2030 economic transformation agenda.

Riyadh Air officially took to the skies on June 10, with its first direct flight from Riyadh to London
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