{"id":83442,"date":"2025-12-09T15:56:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T13:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/?p=83442"},"modified":"2025-12-09T15:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T13:56:10","slug":"riyadh-air-and-ibm-partner-to-launch-worlds-first-ai-native-airline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2025\/12\/09\/riyadh-air-and-ibm-partner-to-launch-worlds-first-ai-native-airline\/","title":{"rendered":"Riyadh Air and IBM Partner to Launch World’s First AI-Native Airline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Riyadh\u00a0Air\u2019s AI\u2011powered operations create agility across the business and unify employee and guest experiences, setting a new benchmark in aviation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\u00a0IBM<\/a><\/strong> Think Riyadh 2025,<\/em> IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Riyadh Air <\/a><\/strong>announced a major milestone in their collaboration, unveiling Riyadh\u00a0Air as the world\u2019s first AI-native airline. Designed from the ground up without legacy patchwork, these AI-driven operations provide the foundation to transform guest and employee experiences and set a new benchmark for innovation in the aviation industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riyadh Air is leveraging IBM Consulting\u2019s deep industry and technical expertise, broad partner ecosystem, and IBM watsonx Orchestrate<\/a> to operate as an AI-native enterprise from day one. IBM Consulting served as the orchestrator behind this ambitious AI vision, bringing together 59 workstreams and more than 60 partners, including Adobe, Apple, FLYR, and Microsoft. Using IBM Consulting Advantage<\/a>, its AI-\u2011powered delivery platform designed to accelerate value creation, IBM consultants were able to help provide seamless execution of the airline\u2019s end-to-end technology strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With initial flights underway and its first commercial service expected in early 2026, the three\u2011year collaboration between Riyadh Air and IBM has reached a pivotal moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a clear choice\u2014be the last airline built on legacy technology or the first built on the platforms that will define the next decade of aviation,\u201d said Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer, Riyadh Air. \u201cWith IBM, we\u2019ve stripped out fifty years of legacy in a single stroke. Riyadh Air isn\u2019t just built for today; it\u2019s built for the future and creating a pathway for many airlines to follow in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy embedding AI into the very foundation of its operations, Riyadh Air is setting a new blueprint for what it means to build a modern, adaptive enterprise from the ground up,\u201d said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting. \u201cAs a company born in the AI era, Riyadh Air is redefining what\u2019s possible in aviation and it\u2019s been a privilege for IBM to help make that vision a reality.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing Together Employee and Guest Experiences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Riyadh Air is reimagining how employees work and engage with travelers in the AI era. By infusing generative AI and agentic AI capabilities into workflows, the airline is creating a synchronized environment where people and technology deliver effortless travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Employee\u00a0Experience:<\/strong>\u00a0Riyadh\u00a0Air will introduce a personalized digital workplace powered by AI agents. The platform will give employees a single, chat-first entry point to HR, simplifying workflows and accelerating key employee and manager self-service capabilities as Riyadh Air doubles its workforce in the next 12 months.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Crew Enablement: <\/strong>AI-powered mobile applications will create a connected and integrated employee and guest journey.Riyadh\u00a0Air will use IBM\u00a0watsonx\u00a0Orchestrate\u00a0to build an agentic AI-based concierge experience for employees that is trustworthy, proactive, contextually aware, and proposes next best actions for each persona interacting with guests. This will enable cabin and ground crews to deliver tailored service, for example, prompting staff to offer fast-track services to customers running late.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Customer Care:<\/strong>\u00a0Digitally driven yet anchored in human values, AI\u2011enabled voice bots and agent assist will help customer care agents deliver attentive, personalized support using contextual data to anticipate traveler needs and enhance the overall travel experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Operational Efficiency as the Engine for Innovation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Built for efficiency from the start, Riyadh Air isn\u2019t constrained by legacy systems or incremental productivity gains. Beginning with a completely blank digital slate, the airline is using AI to create new revenue opportunities and reinvest in innovation across its operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    IBM Consulting implemented an enterprise performance management suite to bring together financial, operational and commercial data across the organization, automating planning, budgeting, forecasting and analysis to deliver real time insights and support data driven decision making. By building this integrated foundation, Riyadh Air is enhancing its efficiency, optimizing route profitability and strengthening overall business performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Together, IBM and Riyadh Air have built an AI\u2011native enterprise with the digital strategy, architecture and operating models needed for the airline to achieve its ambition of transforming aviation and expanding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia\u2019s connectivity to more than 100 destinations, serving millions of travelers by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Riyadh\u00a0Air\u2019s AI\u2011powered operations create agility across the business and unify employee and guest experiences, setting a new benchmark in aviation At\u00a0IBM Think Riyadh 2025, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Riyadh Air announced a major milestone in their collaboration, unveiling Riyadh\u00a0Air as the world\u2019s first AI-native airline. Designed from the ground up without legacy patchwork, these AI-driven …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communications-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nRiyadh Air and IBM Partner to Launch World's First AI-Native Airline - Gulf Tech News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Riyadh Air and IBM Partner to Launch World's First AI-Native Airline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2025\/12\/09\/riyadh-air-and-ibm-partner-to-launch-worlds-first-ai-native-airline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Riyadh Air and IBM Partner to Launch World's First AI-Native Airline - 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