Riyadh Air has cleared a U.S. regulatory hurdle after the Transportation Department granted permission for flights to and from the United States. The approval gives the Saudi-backed startup an operating placeholder and tentative foreign air carrier authority, moving it closer to long-haul network build-out.
The decision follows Riyadh Air’s 5 May application and comes as the carrier has just started commercial service. The airline still needs route execution, fleet readiness and commercial timing before any U.S. launch materialises, but the permit widens its strategic runway.
For the sector, the signal is clear: Riyadh Air is now one step nearer to transatlantic scale.