Riyadh Air has inaugurated its new direct service connecting Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Bangkok, Thailand, marking a significant expansion of air travel options between the two nations. The inaugural flight, carrying Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Thailand, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Alsuhaibani, landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 3rd. This new route is a key component of efforts to attract more high-spending tourists from the Middle East to Thailand.
Boosting Tourism with New Air Connectivity
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) officially welcomed the arrival of Riyadh Air’s first flight, emphasizing the importance of this new direct link for long-haul tourism growth. Officials present at the airport included Deputy Minister of Transport Phattrapong Phattraprasit, Ministry of Tourism and Sports spokesperson Pasakorn Rangsiwatanasak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing Chiravadee Khunsub, and Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn. Riyadh Air chief executive Tony Douglas was also in attendance.
The flight departed from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on September 2nd at 10:15 PM and arrived in Bangkok at 10:35 AM the following day. The presence of Ambassador Alsuhaibani on the inaugural journey was highlighted as a symbol of strengthening bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
Chiravadee Khunsub stated that the new service will significantly improve accessibility for travelers heading to Bangkok and other Thai destinations. She expressed optimism that this enhanced connectivity will enable the TAT and its partners to more effectively target segments such as family, luxury, wellness, and medical tourism. Khunsub further noted that robust direct flight networks are crucial for transforming market potential into sustained visitor numbers.
Riyadh Air’s Expanding Network and Schedule
The Riyadh to Bangkok route represents Riyadh Air’s 14th international destination. The flights are operated using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, each with a capacity of 290 seats. Initially, the airline will offer three flights per week, with departures from Riyadh scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and return flights from Bangkok on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
In anticipation of increased demand, Riyadh Air plans to scale up its operations to seven flights per week starting in October. This initial schedule is projected to add approximately 3,840 inbound seats to Thailand each month. To commemorate the launch, Riyadh Air, in collaboration with the TAT, hosted a gala dinner at The Athenee Hotel in Bangkok on the evening of September 3rd.
Gala Dinner Highlights Collaboration
The event, titled “TAT x Riyadh Air, A New Era of Travel Gala Dinner 2026,” was attended by tourism industry stakeholders, including Ambassador Alsuhaibani, Tony Douglas, and Chiravadee Khunsub, who jointly addressed the guests, underscoring the new partnership and its potential benefits for tourism.
The Strategic Importance of the Saudi Market
The Middle East, particularly the Gulf region, is recognized as a high-value market for Thailand’s tourism sector. The period between July and September is a peak travel season for outbound tourism from this region. Travelers from the Gulf countries typically show a strong preference for natural attractions, wellness retreats, family-oriented vacations, and dependable tourism infrastructure – areas where Thailand has made substantial investments, including the development of facilities catering to Muslim travelers.
Saudi Arabian visitors, in particular, are known for their longer stays, averaging 10 to 12 days, and their significant spending, with an estimated expenditure of around 110,000 Thai Baht (approximately US$3,100) per trip. Their interests span a wide range of activities, including shopping, beach resorts, experiencing Thai cuisine, and seeking medical and wellness treatments.
Family travel constitutes a substantial portion of this market segment. Furthermore, interest is growing beyond traditional hotspots like Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya, with emerging popularity for destinations such as Krabi, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai.
Strategies to Enhance Saudi Arrivals
While Thailand has welcomed 121,907 arrivals from Saudi Arabia in the year to date in 2026, this figure represents a decrease of 14.62% compared to the 142,774 arrivals recorded during the same period in the previous year. The TAT is actively working to reverse this trend through a multi-faceted approach.
Key strategies include improving air connectivity, as exemplified by the new Riyadh Air service, enhancing the availability and quality of halal dining options, upgrading visitor facilities, and implementing targeted digital marketing campaigns specifically designed to appeal to Saudi travelers. The aim is to leverage the new direct flights to stimulate growth and recapture previous arrival numbers from this valuable market.
The introduction of direct flights by Riyadh Air is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving these objectives, making Thailand a more accessible and attractive destination for Saudi tourists seeking diverse travel experiences.
