By Salonee Kulkarni
A collaboration between Riyadh Air and IBM, introducing the first AI native airline, is a pathbreaking milestone for the aviation industry. The operations are AI-driven, enhancing guest and employee experiences. The design is curated from scratch without a previous legacy design.
Riyadh has, from day one, promised its stakeholders that it will leverage IBM Consulting’s technical and operational expertise. The deep analysis of IBM’s Watsonx Orchestrate ecosystem will help culminate the efficient operation of an AI-native enterprise. The AI vision is ambitious, with 59 workstreams and 60 partners; it can be accomplished. IBM consultants on board will ensure that the AI-platform delivery will accelerate value and the technology strategy can be effectively executed.
The three-year collaboration will achieve its results in early 2026, celebrating the pivotal moment of its first commercial service.
The Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Air, Adam Boukadida, states that the innovation aims to break the fifty-year-old legacy by replacing legacy technology with the first AI-driven platform operation, which will build a legacy due to first-mover advantage and groundbreaking innovation defining the aviation industry. The foundation that the partnership builds creates pathways for future innovations in the industry and a blueprint for other airlines to follow.
The Senior Vice-President of IBM Consulting, Mohammad Ali, emphasised the integration of AI into every single aspect of the operation for Riyadh Air, serving as a blueprint and a successful case study on building a modern, adaptive enterprise from scratch. Additionally, it redefines the possibility of AI integration in the Aviation industry and the privilege of good collaboration, leading a vision to reality.
The central focus of the entire project is to elevate the experience of the employees and the guests through the integration of AI and experience. The delivery of technology is programmed to function in a synchronised environment to ensure effortless travel for consumers. The seamless integration of generative AI and genetic AI capabilities ensures that workflows are streamlined for employees.
Firstly, employees are the backbone of an organisation. To ensure its smooth operations, Riyadh Air has introduced a personalised digital workspace powered by AI agents. Riyadh Air aims to double its workforce in the coming months. To achieve this objective, employees will be given access to a platform acting as a single, chat-first entry point for HR, and workflows will be streamlined. Thus, accelerating employee duties and managerial self-service capabilities. Agentic AI building will curate a persona to interact with each guest. The interaction will help deliver fast-track services, acting as a bridge between the crew on the ground and the customer checking in.
Customer Care will be transformed with the use of AI voicebots and assistants, providing personalised support to travellers and enhancing their experience through personalised attention.