Air France resumes flights to Riyadh after six-year hiatus

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool revealed that Air France had previously served the Paris-Charles De Gaulle to Riyadh route since at least 2000 but abandoned it in January 2019. At that time, there was a thrice-weekly service operated by an Airbus A330-200.

The schedule for the new flights sees departure from Paris at23:10 local time (UTC +2), arriving in Riyadh at06:25 local time (UTC +3) the next day. The return itinerary is scheduled to depart Riyadh at08:40 local time , landing in Paris at14:20 local time .

In addition to Riyadh, Air France has also scheduled flights commencing in June for three other Middle East destinations: Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY), Dubai International Airport (DXB), and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV). Daily flights are planned from Paris-Charles De Gaulle to each of these destinations.

Air France noted that the new flights would strengthen their existing partnership with SAUDIA and bolster ties with Saudi Arabia itself. In December2024 , Air France-KLM disclosed plans for new routes into Saudi Arabia supported by the Saudi Air Connectivity Program(ACP).

The ACP was established by the Saudi Arabian government in2021to facilitate market entry and promote expansion opportunities for airlines looking towards Saudi Arabia."Through the development of new routes," said ACP's website,"the Program aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism and air connectivity."

On March12 , alongside announcing their return flight path into Riyadh; AirFrance-KLMandSAUDIA signed a strategic memorandum of understanding(MoU). This agreement laid foundations for increased cooperation within passenger transportation sectors as well as aircraft maintenance domains.The MoU stipulated an expanded codeshare agreement while grantingAirFrance-KLM’smaintenance arm firm minimum contracts covering50%work onSAUDIA’sBoeing777GEAerospaceGE90engines—with potential joint ventures extending overGEAerospaceGEnxengines used optionally aboard Boeing787aircrafts.