Riyadh Air expands network with four new South Asian routes

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Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier Riyadh Air has launched four new destinations during August 2026 as it continues the buildup of its network following the start of commercial operations earlier this year.

The airline has launched daily Boeing 787-9 flights from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Mumbai, India on Aug. 4 and Dhaka, Bangladesh on Aug. 7, followed by daily service to Islamabad, Pakistan on Aug. 14 and 3X-weekly flights to Lahore, Pakistan beginning Aug. 16. The expansion has increased Riyadh Air’s network to nine destinations and forms part of its strategy to grow from six cities at launch to 22 destinations by March 2027 before ultimately serving more than 100 international cities by the end of the decade.

The South Asian additions target some of the largest expatriate and labour markets in Saudi Arabia while also strengthening Riyadh’s position as a connecting hub between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The carrier says the Pakistan routes will serve business, leisure, labour and visiting friends and relatives traffic. The network expansion comes only weeks after Riyadh Air at the Farnborough Airshow firmed an order for six additional Airbus A350-1000s and exercised options for 28 787s.