Riyadh Air Is Expanding Fast: New Flights to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in 2026
Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier added five new Asian routes in August 2026 alone — here’s everything that launched, and what’s coming next.
Riyadh Air is moving quickly. Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier has spent August 2026 adding new connections across Asia, with Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia all becoming part of its rapidly expanding network.
For travellers, the most interesting part is probably Pakistan. Riyadh Air has launched services to Islamabad and Lahore this month, giving passengers new direct options between Saudi Arabia and two of Pakistan’s major cities.
But Pakistan isn’t the whole story. Mumbai and Dhaka have also joined the network, while Kuala Lumpur launched earlier in August. Bangkok and Manila are already on the horizon.
Riyadh Air isn’t slowly adding a route here and there — it’s building out its Asian network at a fairly impressive pace.
August has been a big month for Riyadh Air
The month started with Kuala Lumpur, which launched on August 3 and became Riyadh Air’s first gateway into Southeast Asia.
That gives the expansion a clear pattern: Riyadh Air is building connections into some of Asia’s major population and travel markets while using Riyadh as the central hub.
Riyadh Air’s new Pakistan routes
Pakistan is one of the most significant additions to Riyadh Air’s network this month. The airline says the new routes are intended to serve a mixture of business, leisure, work and family travel, including demand from the Pakistani expatriate community in Saudi Arabia. They also create opportunities for onward connections through Riyadh.
Riyadh Air’s daily service to Islamabad began on August 14. The route operates using two flight numbers depending on the day of the week: flight RX0659 departs Riyadh at 13:45 four times a week — Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Flight RX0661 operates on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Both services connect King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with Islamabad International Airport.
The Lahore service started four days later, on August 18, 2026. This is worth highlighting because some early reports gave August 16 as the launch date — Riyadh Air’s own announcement confirms August 18.
Flight RX0675 operates from Riyadh to Lahore three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The return service is operated as RX0676.
For travellers from Pakistan, having both Islamabad and Lahore in the network is much more useful than simply having one Pakistani destination. It gives passengers in different parts of the country another option when travelling to Saudi Arabia or connecting onwards through Riyadh.
Mumbai and Dhaka join the network
Pakistan isn’t the only South Asian market Riyadh Air is targeting. The airline launched its direct daily Mumbai service on August 4. Riyadh Air described Mumbai as its eighth global destination at the time of launch.
Dhaka followed on August 7, giving Bangladesh its first connection with Riyadh Air. The airline currently describes Dhaka as being served by daily non-stop flights from Riyadh, alongside onward connections through its growing network.
Together, Mumbai and Dhaka strengthen Riyadh Air’s presence in South Asia while also giving travellers more potential ways to connect through the Saudi capital.
Kuala Lumpur adds another gateway to Asia
One of the less obvious but important additions this month is Kuala Lumpur. Riyadh Air launched the route on August 3, marking its first gateway into Southeast Asia.
For travellers, Kuala Lumpur is particularly interesting because Malaysia can act as another bridge into Southeast Asia. Riyadh Air’s current network also includes other Asian destinations, with Bangkok and Manila now being added to the schedule.
The result is a network that is beginning to stretch well beyond Saudi Arabia’s immediate region.
More destinations are already coming
The August expansion isn’t the end of the story. Riyadh Air has already opened ticket sales for Bangkok, with the three-times-weekly Riyadh–Bangkok service scheduled to begin on September 2, 2026.
Manila is scheduled to follow on September 9. The airline has confirmed that the Riyadh–Manila route will operate daily, while the new Pakistan and Manila services are being operated with Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Riyadh Air’s current route map also includes destinations such as London, Madrid, Manchester, Málaga, Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah, alongside its growing Asian network.
So although Riyadh Air is still a very young airline, its route map is already becoming much more interesting.
Riyadh Air is building more than an airline
Riyadh Air has been building a large modern fleet and has a stated ambition to connect Riyadh with more than 100 destinations by 2030. Its current fleet information refers to 182 aircraft in its modern fleet plan.
At the Farnborough Airshow in July, the airline announced a firm order for six Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and a commitment to purchase 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, further supporting its long-term expansion plans.
The strategy fits into Saudi Arabia’s much broader ambition to turn the country into a major global aviation and tourism hub. Riyadh Air is one part of that plan, but it could become a very visible part of it.
For travellers in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, the immediate benefit is straightforward: more direct connections to Riyadh.
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