Riyadh Air travel technology provider Ink Innovation says it is on track to launch an innovative ecommerce platform for the start-up carrier this year.
The partners said they aim to deliver a “next-generation air travel experience designed from the ground up for flexibility and convenience”.
They added that they have 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”.
Tony Douglas, chief executive of Riyadh Air, said: “Ink is a standout partner of the Riyadh Air family. They’ve brought innovation to the table at times beyond where we’ve been thinking.
“They’ve stimulated all sorts of incredible ideas in how we’ve been trying to create the seamless journey, the journey that embrace how digital can play an even bigger part.”
“Ink is a key partner to Riyadh Air and continues to foster innovation at every step of the journey. As a like-minded tech-innovator, it is an ideal collaborator as we aim to provide an outstanding digital experience for our guests at their first travel touchpoint.”
Riyadh Air and Ink Innovation will work on plans to implement a full delivery management system aligned with the IATA Modern Airline Retailing (MAR) model.
The platform allows carriers to manage and interact with orders in real time, dispensing with outdated legacy systems to put travellers more in control.
Travellers 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.
The system has already proven its readiness. Riyadh Air achieved its AOC using Ink’s platform, 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.
Peter Bellew, chief operating officer at Riyadh Air, said: “What we’re trying to do with Ink is offer a brilliant service to our customers.
“For me, our customers are the guests who travel on the aircraft, as well as the teams who work at the check-in desks and departure gates at airports.
“If they see our system as easy to use, straightforward, and highly reliable, they will be happy to work on their flights and offer even better service to our customers.”
Riyadh Air aims to respond instantly to passenger or operational needs using mobile-based operations and cloud-native architecture avoiding “the drama typical of legacy systems”.
Ink and Riyadh Air have built their system to connect travellers to hotels, airport transfers, local experiences, and multimodal transport like rail.
Shawn Richards, chief executive and co-founder of Ink Innovation, said the system “is designed to support upselling, cross-selling, and personalised service delivery, all aligned with the modern expectations of today’s traveller”.
He added: “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.
“We are developing a platform that aligns perfectly with the Modern Airline Retailing model. Our vision for travel is about empowering passengers much more than they are today. We believe that travellers will want the ability to change, enhance, or remove parts of their journey with ease. Right now, that’s not possible.”
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