After more than a decade away, Singapore Airlines is coming back to Riyadh — and this time, it’s going direct.
The airline confirmed that four-times-weekly nonstop service between Singapore Changi Airport and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will launch on June 2, 2026. It’s a move that hasn’t just turned heads in aviation circles. It’s sent a clear signal about where the world’s top carriers see the future of travel heading.
Here’s the thing about this route: it didn’t exist for 12 years. Singapore Airlines pulled out of Riyadh back in 2014 when demand didn’t quite match the operation costs. So what changed? Saudi Arabia changed. The Kingdom’s tourism sector has undergone a transformation that even the most optimistic forecasters didn’t fully predict a decade ago.
The flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, departing Singapore at 18:20 local time and touching down in Riyadh at 21:45. The return leg leaves at 23:00, arriving in Singapore just after noon the following day. That’s a clean 7.5-hour journey aboard the Airbus A350-900, with 40 Business Class and 263 Economy Class seats — comfortable enough to arrive fresh for a meeting or a first glimpse of Diriyah’s ancient walls.
What makes this announcement particularly telling is its alignment with Vision 2030’s tourism targets. Saudi Arabia isn’t just hoping to attract more visitors. It’s building an entire infrastructure ecosystem to welcome them — from Riyadh Season’s massive entertainment festivals to the ongoing restoration of heritage sites like Masmak Fortress and the Diriyah Gate development.
For Southeast Asian travelers, the direct connection eliminates the traditional Dubai layover. That alone could shift booking patterns. Singapore’s affluent leisure market, combined with a thriving business corridor between the two nations, gives this route strong commercial legs from day one.
Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary, already serves Jeddah. Adding Riyadh as a premium gateway means the airline group now covers both of Saudi Arabia’s major entry points. Industry analysts project the route could add roughly 4,800 monthly seats to the Singapore-Riyadh corridor, a capacity injection that hotel operators and tour companies in the Saudi capital are already preparing for.
The timing couldn’t be better. With Riyadh positioning itself as a global destination for business conferences, cultural events, and luxury tourism, having one of the world’s most respected airlines on the tarmac sends exactly the right message. Saudi Arabia isn’t waiting for the world to come knocking. It’s rolling out the red carpet and booking the flights itself.
