Riyadh Air is joining forces with travel technology provider Ink Innovation to deliver a next-generation air travel experience—one designed from the ground up for flexibility and convenience.
At the heart of this collaboration is a shared ambition: to set a new standard for what air travel can be in a world shaped by e-commerce, cloud computing, and travellers' expectations.
Moving beyond legacy systems
Airlines have long struggled with outdated infrastructure—systems built to move passengers from point A to B but not to delight, empower, or adapt. This partnership aims to change that.
Riyadh Air and Ink Innovation are implementing a full Delivery Management System aligned with the IATA Modern Airline Retailing (MAR) model. The platform lets you manage and interact with orders in real time, without outdated systems that rely on PNLs or PNRs. This puts travellers in charge of their journeys.
Passengers will be able to make changes on-the-go, add services mid-trip, and connect with third-party content in one streamlined experience. Instead of static, pre-booked trips, travel becomes modular, personal, and responsive.
Proven in the field
The system has already proven its readiness in real-world operations. Riyadh Air achieved its Air Operator Certificate using Ink’s platform, with proving flights across key international cities including Munich, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Cairo. All flight handling, check-in, and load control functions were completed using Ink’s digital tools.
By leveraging mobile-based operations and cloud-native architecture, Riyadh Air teams can respond instantly to passenger or operational needs—whether a last-minute seat change or managing disrupted flights without the drama typical of legacy systems.
From airline to travel ecosystem
The broader ambition goes well beyond the airport terminal experience and check-in upgrade. Ink and Riyadh Air have built their system to connect travellers to hotels, airport transfers, local experiences, and multimodal transport like rail. It is designed to support upselling, cross-selling, and personalised service delivery, all aligned with the modern expectations of today’s traveller.
While many airlines continue to plan digital upgrade and launch Delivery systems in 2027 and beyond, Riyadh Air and Ink will fully deploy this system in 2025. This initiative delivers on the Modern Airline Retailing promise—not someday, but now.
Source: ZAWYA