Riyadh Air and IBM unveil world’s first AI-native airline

Riyadh Air and IBM have announced that the Saudi carrier has become the world’s first “AI-native airline”, with artificial intelligence embedded into every layer of its operations from inception.

The milestone was revealed at IBM Think Riyadh 2025 and marks a major phase in a three-year collaboration to design the airline’s digital foundation ahead of its planned commercial launch in early 2026.

Created without any inherited legacy systems, Riyadh Air is building its operations entirely on AI-driven platforms. IBM Consulting coordinated 59 workstreams and more than 60 technology partners, including Adobe, Apple, FLYR and Microsoft, using its AI-powered delivery platform, IBM Consulting Advantage, to implement the airline’s technology strategy.

Riyadh Air launches AI-driven operations

The project uses IBM watsonx Orchestrate to support core functions and connect processes across the business.

“We had a clear choice — be the last airline built on legacy technology or the first built on the platforms that will define the next decade of aviation,” said Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Air.

“With IBM, we’ve stripped out fifty years of legacy in a single stroke. Riyadh Air isn’t just built for today; it’s built for the future and creating a pathway for many airlines to follow in the years to come.”

Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President at IBM Consulting, said the airline is “setting a new blueprint for what it means to build a modern, adaptive enterprise from the ground up”.

AI to redefine airline operations

Riyadh Air is aiming to transform both employee and passenger interactions by using generative and agentic AI across its systems. A personalised digital workplace powered by AI agents will give staff a single chat-based access point to HR and internal tools as the workforce expands rapidly over the next year.

AI-enabled mobile apps will also support cabin and ground crews by providing context-aware recommendations and suggested next steps when assisting travellers, including alerts to help speed up services for late-arriving passengers. In customer care, AI-driven voice bots and agent-assist systems will draw on contextual data to anticipate needs and deliver more personalised support.

Beyond customer experience, the airline has adopted an enterprise performance management suite developed with IBM to integrate financial, commercial and operational data. Automating planning, budgeting and forecasting is intended to generate real-time insights that support decisions on route profitability and overall business performance, helping Riyadh Air reinvest in innovation and efficiency as it grows.

The partnership supports the airline’s broader ambition to expand Saudi Arabia’s global air connectivity, with plans to reach more than 100 destinations and serve millions of travellers by 2030.

Riyadh Air, launched in March 2023 and owned by the Public Investment Fund, is positioning itself as a digitally led full-service carrier with advanced sustainability and safety standards.

IBM and Riyadh Air say that building the airline as an AI-native enterprise from day one gives it a structural advantage over legacy models, allowing it to scale quickly and adopt new technologies without operational constraints.