Riyadh Air Bets on Bilateral Partnerships Over Alliance Membership

Riyadh Air has ruled out membership of oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam, and is instead building a network of bilateral partnerships with carriers across all three blocs, Simple Flying reports. The strategy moved from policy to practice with a codeshare agreement with Saudia, the airline's first, activated under a Strategic Cooperation Agreement first underpinned by a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2023.

The carrier, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has completed the first phase of that cooperation with its domestic counterpart. Vincent Coste, Chief Commercial Officer of Riyadh Air, framed the technical work as the core of the model: "Integrating different technology environments is a fundamental principle of our digital native model and this first major step in our collaboration with Saudia is a significant industry milestone."

Which partners are in place?

Two deals define the picture so far:

• Saudia — first codeshare partner, implemented under the Strategic Cooperation Agreement.
• Air India — a memorandum of understanding signed with the Star Alliance member, showing Riyadh Air already reaching across alliance lines.

Arved von zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer of Saudia, said the codeshare milestone "reflects the strong collaboration between Saudia and Riyadh Air and our shared commitment to supporting the continued growth of Saudi Arabia's aviation." The framing is national as much as commercial: both carriers sit inside Saudi state strategy, and the partnership serves the goal of building Riyadh as a hub as much as connecting passengers. That raises the question of whether the bilateral model is a pure commercial calculation or partly a reflection of Vision 2030 objectives that alliance membership could complicate.

What is the route network behind it?

A bilateral strategy only holds if partnerships have routes to feed. Aviation Week reports three long-haul launches in September 2026 alone:

• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi — three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights from September 2, 2026.
• Manila Ninoy Aquino International — daily flights from September 9, 2026.
• Manchester — three weekly flights from September 19, 2026, the carrier's second UK destination.

Those additions span Southeast Asia and Europe, which suggests assembly of the network at genuine pace.

What does the alliance refusal actually cost?

Alliances give a new entrant three things bilateral deals do not automatically replicate: a ready-made interline framework (ticketing and baggage transfer between carriers), shared frequent-flyer recognition across dozens of airlines, and coordinated lounge access. Building each of those one partnership at a time is slower and requires technology integration at every step — a point Coste's own language acknowledges.

The loyalty question is the sharpest edge. A frequent flyer earning miles within an alliance can redeem them on dozens of carriers. Riyadh Air must either build its own programme to a scale that stands on its own, or negotiate reciprocal earning and redemption with enough bilateral partners to match that breadth. Neither path is impossible; neither is straightforward for a carrier in its first years of operation.

The alliances themselves are not static, which weakens the argument that membership is a prerequisite. ITA Airways joined Star Alliance on April 1, 2026, after four years in SkyTeam since 2021. Hawaiian Airlines joined oneworld on April 22, 2026, following its merger with Alaska Airlines. Alliance membership, in other words, is a commercial decision taken in a market context, not a fixed requirement for a viable long-haul network.

What to watch next

Three tests will determine whether the model delivers at scale. First, the pace at which Riyadh Air signs and activates partnerships that give passengers onward connectivity without separate bookings. Second, whether a loyalty programme — if one is announced — reaches alliance-level earning and redemption depth. Third, whether the technology integration Coste calls a core principle proves replicable across a growing partner list at acceptable cost and speed.

The September 2026 route launches show ambition, and the Saudia codeshare shows the first bilateral deal can work technically. What the record does not yet show is whether those two facts combine into the network depth a competitive long-haul carrier requires. The answer will come from the next wave of partnership announcements and from whether passengers find the experience as seamless as an alliance itinerary.