(Posted 07th May 2025)
Riyadh Air, the digitally native national carrier of Saudi Arabia, is joining forces with travel technology provider Ink Innovation to deliver a next-generation air travel experience—one designed from the ground up for flexibility and convenience.
At the heart of this collaboration is a shared ambition: to set a new standard for what air travel can be in a world shaped by e-commerce, cloud computing, and travellers’ expectations.
Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said:
“Ink is a key partner to Riyadh Air and continues to foster innovation at every step of the journey. As a like-minded tech-innovator, it is an ideal collaborator as we aim to provide an outstanding digital experience for our guests at their first travel touchpoint.”
Moving beyond legacy systems
Airlines have long struggled with outdated infrastructure—systems built to move passengers from point A to B but not to delight, empower, or adapt. This partnership aims to change that.
Riyadh Air and Ink Innovation are implementing a full Delivery Management System aligned with the IATA Modern Airline Retailing (MAR) model. The platform lets you manage and interact with orders in real time, without outdated systems that rely on PNLs or PNRs. This puts travellers in charge of their journeys.
Passengers will be able to make changes on-the-go, add services mid-trip, and connect with third-party content in one streamlined experience. Instead of static, pre-booked trips, travel becomes modular, personal, and responsive.
Proven in the field
The system has already proven its readiness in real-world operations. Riyadh Air achieved its Air Operator Certificate using Ink’s platform, with proving flights across different continents. All flight handling, check-in, and load control functions were completed using Ink’s digital tools.
Peter Bellew, Chief Operating Officer at Riyadh Air, said:
“What we’re trying to do with Ink…is offer a brilliant service to our customers. For me, our customers are the guests who travel on the aircraft, as well as the teams who work at the check-in desks and departure gates at airports. If they see our system as easy to use, straightforward, and highly reliable, they will be happy to work on their flights and offer even better service to our customers.”
By leveraging mobile-based operations and cloud-native architecture, Riyadh Air teams can respond instantly to passenger or operational needs, whether a last-minute seat change or managing disrupted flights without the drama typical of legacy systems.
From airline to travel ecosystem
The broader ambition goes well beyond the airport terminal experience and check-in upgrade. Ink and Riyadh Air have built their system to connect travellers to hotels, airport transfers, local experiences, and multimodal transport like rail. It is designed to support upselling, cross-selling, and personalised service delivery, all aligned with the modern expectations of today’s traveller.
While many airlines continue to plan digital upgrades and launch Delivery systems in 2027 and beyond, Riyadh Air and Ink will fully deploy this system in 2025. This initiative delivers on the Modern Airline Retailing promise—not someday, but now.
Shawn Richards, CEO and Co-Founder of Ink Innovation, said:
“We are developing a platform that aligns perfectly with the Modern Airline Retailing model. Our vision for travel is about empowering passengers much more than they are today. We believe that travellers will want the ability to change, enhance, or remove parts of their journey with ease. Right now, that’s not possible.”
Ink provides a dynamic platform designed to evolve with passenger travel.
