Riyadh Air And Delta CEOs Discuss How Their New Strategic Partnership Will “Connect The World To Saudi Arabia”

In an interview on CNN’s First Move with Julia Chatterley, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian discussed their new strategic agreement to expand connectivity and premium travel options across North America, Saudi Arabia, and beyond.

Under the agreement, Delta will serve as Riyadh Air’s exclusive partner in North America and for Delta’s customers, the partnership will open new destinations in Saudi Arabia. Douglas told Chatterley of the deal, “Obviously, connectivity into North America for Saudi travellers. But importantly, connecting the world into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The tourism agenda there, the investment is nothing short of exceptional. And of course, there is an overarching economic diversification strategy, and a big enabler to that is better connectivity.”

Currently, no US airline files to Saudi Arabia, but Bastian says the partnership will change this, “We’ll be launching direct flights from the US to Riyadh sometime in the next 12 to 18 months.”

Bastian discussed why the Saudi market is so attractive to Delta, “”The thing that’s unique about this is that the entire Kingdom actually has a real population base of 35 million Saudis. It is an economic powerhouse. It is in the top 20 economies in the world, and it’s the fastest growing economy in the world, with the GDP that’s a multiple of what either the GDP of Dubai or Doha is, for Riyadh itself.”

The two CEOs also discussed the ongoing problems impacting Boeing planes, Riyadh Air’s plan to become the first “digital native” airline, and Riyadh Air’s cabin crew uniforms which were unveiled at Paris Couture Week.