First Look Inside Riyadh Air’s 787: CEO Tony Douglas Talks Design, Detail, and Disruption
Photo Credit: A rendering of Riyadh Air's 787 business class cabin. Riyadh Air
Skift Take
Speaking with Skift, Douglas offers a candid insight into the development of aircraft interiors that will set the tone for the largest airline start-up in a generation.
Leaders of Travel: Skift C-Suite Series
What are the top trends impacting hotels, airlines, and online bookings? We speak to the executives shaping the future of travel.Through clunky mergers or simply the test of time, airlines become much more complex as they age. Diverse fleets make for a patchwork of different passenger propositions. Stepping onboard could mean a flagship cabin or something better suited to an aviation museum.
Attempting to correct this disconnect is Riyadh Air. The government-backed Saudi start-up describes itself as “the no legacy carrier,” and it’s keen to use this distinction to its advantage.
Ahead of its first revenue flight later this year, the company has been leveraging its clean sheet model to rewrite industry norms – but little was known about the passenger experience onboard.
That is all changing Saturday as the airline presents its aircraft interiors for the first time. Speaking to Skift from Riyadh ahead of the reveal, CEO Tony Douglas explained the creative vision behind the project.
“At Paris Fashion Week in June 2024, we did our cabin crew fashion reveal. I wan
