Riyadh Air Becomes World’s First AI-Native Airline in Partnership with IBM

Riyadh Air, built from the ground up with AI, aims to revolutionize aviation operations and customer experience by 2026.

Riyadh Air was launched by IBM as the first airline in the world to be developed as an AI-native enterprise. The airline's systems are set up to transform employee and customer service and establish a new standard for airline innovation, all without the use of aviation innovation.

IBM Consulting, which managed 59 work streams and over sixty partners, including Adobe, Apple, FLYR, and Microsoft, works with Riyadh Air. From the beginning, the airline has employed an entire technology strategy using IBM Watsonx Orchestrate and IBM Consulting Advantage. The 3 year partnership has reached a critical point with first flights underway and commercial operation expected in early 2026.

The airline is combining AI into all customer and employee touchpoints, including a digital workplace based on AI agents to streamline HR and self service processes, mobile applications to facilitate customized service and proactive customer engagement, and AI-enabled voice bots and agent assist tools to provide contextual, personalized assistance. In order to combine financial, operational, and commercial data, IBM Consulting has put in place an enterprise performance management suite.

To support the airline's goal of serving more than 100 destinations and millions of travelers by 2030, Riyadh Air and IBM have partnered to develop an AI-native enterprise with digital strategy, architecture, and operating models.

Adam Boukadida, CFO of Riyadh Air, said, 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. In a single stroke, we removed 50 years of legacy with IBM. Riyadh Air is not only designed for the present but also for the future, setting an example for other airlines to follow in the years to come.