Airline set to launch with end-to-end AI workflows

Riyadh Air has collaborated with IBM Consulting to deliver what the pair claim is the world’s first airline that is artificial intelligence (AI) native.

Launched in March 2023, the airline Riyad Air is a digitally led, full-service airline, which aims to connect passengers to more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030. The airline said it wants to reimagine how employees work and engage with travellers in the AI era using generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI capabilities embedded in workflows.

It has been working with IBM on a multi-year project involving 59 workstreams and more than 60 partners, including Adobe, Apple, FLYR, Microsoft and Oracle. IBM Consulting Advantage has been used to deliver what IBM and Riyadh Air describe as seamless execution of its end-to-end technology strategy.

“We had a clear choice – be the last airline built on legacy technology or be the first built on the platforms that will define the next decade of aviation,” said Adam Boukadida, chief financial officer of Riyadh Air. “With IBM, we’ve stripped out 50 years of legacy in a single stroke. Riyadh Air isn’t just built for today; it’s built for the future and creating a pathway for many airlines to follow in the years to come.”

As it prepares to hire more people, the airline is introducing a personalised digital workplace powered by AI agents, which IBM said enables employees to have a chat-first entry point to HR to simplify workflows and accelerate employee and manager self-service.

There are also AI-powered mobile applications to connect and integrate employee and guest journeys. IBM said it is building an agentic AI-based concierge experience for employees that is proactive and contextually aware, which is able to propose best actions for each persona interacting with guests. According to IBM, this will enable cabin and ground crews to deliver tailored services – for example, prompting staff to offer fast-track services to customers running late.

AI‑enabled voice bots are being used to offer another channel for personalised support based on contextual data, which IBM said can anticipate traveller needs and enhance the overall travel experience.

Sandeep Halli, senior partner at IBM Consulting, said: “We’re currently using large language models from Watsonx.ai that have been fine‑tuned with Riyadh Air’s own knowledge base. We’re also ingesting data from existing systems, including operational and commercial data from the initial test flights, as well as loyalty data from the recent Sfeer programme launch.”

The system is hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud and uses Watsonx Orchestrate, Watsonx.ai and Watsonx.governance hosted running on Red Hat OpenShift, which Halli said supports digital sovereignty.

In terms of computational power, Halli said: “We’re using Nvidia GPUs [graphics processor units] hosted on Microsoft Azure, including high‑performance options like the A100 and H200. These provide the compute power needed to run advanced models efficiently and at scale. We also use standard CPU [central processor unit]‑based Azure resources for lighter workloads.”

With initial flights underway and its first commercial service expected in early 2026, the three‑year collaboration between Riyadh Air and IBM has reached a pivotal moment.

Mohamad Ali, senior vice-president of IBM Consulting, said: “As a company born in the AI era, Riyadh Air is redefining what’s possible in aviation, and it’s been a privilege for IBM to help make that vision a reality.”