Passengers no longer need to make connecting flights as the new service is set to start from July 23, the first of its kind on a route to and from Manchester Airport
New airfares between England’s north and Saudi Arabia will soon be on offer(Image: Getty Images)
A major airline has announced it will be running a new direct service to a major capital city from Manchester Airport.
Riyadh Air will launch the service between the Saudi Arabian capital and Manchester from July 23.
Flights direct to Riyadh will operate three times a week, making one of the first direct links between the Saudi Kingdom and England’s north in decades. Many passengers have been forced to rely on connecting flights through European hubs or other Gulf airports – until now.
As per Riyadh Air, the airline will run the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with flight RX417 leaving Riyadh King Khalid International Airport at 1.45am local time before arriving into Manchester at 6.40am. The return service, RX418, will depart Manchester at 8.40am and land back in Riyadh at 5.20pm local time – right on time for the dinner service.
Riyadh Air told travel news website Travel and Tour World that the route has been designed to appeal to both business and leisure passengers, offering faster and more convenient travel between the Middle East and England’s north. The new direct service will mean business travellers will be able to attend meetings in Riyadh without overnight layovers, and holidaymakers can travel to Saudi Arabia without the need to make a connecting flight. Additionally, the flights will make use of Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which feature wider seating, advanced lighting systems, and nifty travel technology designed to reduce jet lag on long-haul journeys. Riyadh Air said the new Manchester flight path forms part of Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to grow tourism, strengthen global connections, and expand the country’s aviation sector. Riyadh Air, which was founded in 2023, plans to grow its fleet of more than 100 aircraft over the next decade, while also aiming to connect travellers to more than 100 international destinations.
The Manchester route is among the first international services planned as part of the national airline’s wider summer 2026 expansion programme, with new connections also flying out of London.
The additional fares come as travel between the UK and Saudi Arabia continues to increase, with weekly seat capacity surging by up to 150% in recent years to meet rising business and tourism demands. Riyadh Air is now the only aviation firm to expand flight offerings and launch new direct routes between major British and Saudi airports, with British Airways recently boosting its London Heathrow to Riyadh service to up to 14 weekly flights and its Jeddah (JED) route to five flights per week. Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic have also launched direct routes connecting Gatwick and Heathrow airports to cities like Medina, Riyadh, and Jeddah.