Riyadh Air and IBM have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to build the world’s first fully AI-native airline—an aviation enterprise designed entirely without legacy systems, setting a new global standard for intelligent, automated operations.
Revealed at the IBM Think Riyadh 2025 event, the partnership positions Riyadh Air as a next-generation carrier built from day one on AI-driven foundations, using advanced automation to reinvent both guest journeys and employee workflows.
IBM Consulting has been the central orchestrator behind this transformation, unifying 59 workstreams and coordinating more than 60 technology partners, including industry leaders like Adobe, Apple, FLYR, and Microsoft. Through IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate and its AI-powered IBM Consulting Advantage platform, Riyadh Air’s entire technology stack has been engineered to eliminate decades of traditional aviation “tech debt.”
Initial flights are already underway, with the airline’s first commercial service expected in early 2026—marking a key milestone in the three-year partnership.
“We had a choice—be the last airline built on legacy technology or the first built on the platforms defining the next decade of aviation,” said Adam Boukadida, CFO of Riyadh Air. “With IBM, we’ve stripped out fifty years of legacy in one move. Riyadh Air is built for the future and will set a benchmark many airlines will follow.”
By embedding generative AI and agentic AI into daily operations, Riyadh Air is reimagining everything from crew workflows to traveler interaction, creating a seamless, synchronized travel experience.
Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President of IBM Consulting, noted: “Riyadh Air is setting a new blueprint for what it means to build a modern, adaptive enterprise from the ground up. It’s been a privilege to help bring this vision to life.”
