Riyadh Air's New Flatbed Seats on A321neo: A Comfort Boost for Flyers

Get ready to catch some Zs in the skies! Riyadh Air, the newest Saudi Arabian airline, is rolling out flatbed business class suites on its upcoming Airbus A321neo jets. Starting from mid-2025, these fancy digs will join the already luxurious 'Mercedes Maybach' business class on their 787 aircraft. CEO Tony Douglas has a game plan for these new planes. For the first 18 months, Boeing 787s will zip around on short routes, including a premium economy section dubbed "business minus" by Douglas. But come late 2026, the A321neo fleet will take over, crisscrossing the Middle East, Europe, and beyond.

The airline will mix things up with different models of the A321neo family, and those long-range versions could feature those coveted flatbed business class seats. Other airlines are jumping on this trend too, like JetBlue, TAP Portugal, and Starlux. Rivals Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways are also joining the party. Douglas is confident that Saudis will flock to Riyadh Air. After all, he points out that there are three and a half times more people in Riyadh alone than in all of Qatar. And a whopping 30% of Qatar Airways' business and first-class passengers are Saudi passport holders. Riyadh Air aims to hit more than 100 destinations, including major cities in Europe, Asia, and North America. To start, they'll depend on partners like Air China, Delta, and Turkish Airlines. Dreaming of Australia or New Zealand? Riyadh Air has you covered, with plans to connect through Singapore Airlines.

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