Irish businessman Peter Bellew will be joining Saudi Arabia’s newest airline as Chief Operating Officer, he revealed in a post on LinkedIn.
“I am excited to join as Chief Operating Officer of the team at Riyadh Air – Saudia Arabia’s New National Carrier to Further Expand the Saudi Aviation Ecosystem Locally and Globally,” Bellew’s post on LinkedIn read.
Prior to his involvement in Riyadh Air, Bellew was with British low-cost carrier easyJet as Chief Operating Officer between 2020 and 2022. He also headed up operations at Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, and served for over a year as the CEO of Malaysia Airlines.
Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of a new national airline on Sunday.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced the establishment of Riyadh Air, a PIF wholly owned company.
The new national carrier will leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, enabling Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism.
Riyadh Air will be chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF, while Tony Douglas, who brings more than 40 years of experience in the aviation, transportation and logistics industries, has been appointed CEO.
The airline’s senior management will include Saudi and international expertise.
Operating from Riyadh as its hub, the airline will usher in a new era for the travel and aviation industry globally.
Riyadh Air – the next world-class airline
Riyadh Air will be a world-class airline, adopting the global best sustainability and safety standards across its advanced fleet of aircraft equipped with the latest cutting-edge technology.
The airline is expected to add $20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
As a wholly owned PIF subsidiary, the new national airline is set to benefit from PIF’s investment expertise and financial capabilities while expanding on the company’s operations to become a leading national carrier.
The new national airline represents PIF’s latest investment in the sector, along with the recently announced King Salman International Airport masterplan.
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