- Agreement will see Riyadh Air leverage IBM watsonx and IBM
Consulting solutions to drive Riyadh Air's vision as the world's
first digital native airline
- The collaboration aims to help power the Saudi Arabian
airline's mission to launch flights in 2025 while offering an
elevated guest experience
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia, Feb. 25,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced
a new agreement with Riyadh Air, which will integrate watsonx,
IBM's portfolio of AI products, and IBM Consulting AI solutions to
establish an enterprise-wide AI capability to elevate Riyadh Air
guest and employee experiences. As Riyadh Air prepares
for its inaugural flights in late 2025, the new Saudi Arabian
airline sets another key building block of its journey in
redefining air travel as the world's first digital native
carrier.
The announcement took place at the third edition of The FII
PRIORITY Miami 2025 Summit, where senior executives from both IBM
and Riyadh Air, including Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief
Financial Officer, and Mohamad Ali,
SVP and Head of IBM Consulting, reaffirmed their commitment to
driving innovation in the aviation sector.
Building a world-class airline requires more than just aircraft
and infrastructure; it demands an intelligent digital foundation
that anticipates passenger needs, streamlines operations, and
empowers employees. Riyadh Air is embracing this challenge by
making AI the driving force behind its transformation.
"Riyadh Air is more than just an airline; it is a gateway to new
opportunities for travelers from the Kingdom and beyond," said
Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer. "As we
move closer to our first flight later in 2025, our vision is to
deliver a seamless, world-class travel experience by expanding our
reach, pioneering innovations, and redefining industry standards.
By deepening our collaboration with IBM, we are harnessing the
power of AI, from intelligent customer interactions to optimized
flight operations, to set a new benchmark for the future of
aviation."
This agreement aims to strengthen Riyadh Air's position as a
truly digital-native airline, building on IBM's AI-driven products
and solutions together with IBM Consulting as its lead systems
integrator. watsonx, IBM's portfolio of AI products, will serve as
the foundation for Riyadh Air's AI platform, driving
mission-critical functions and fostering open innovation with
multi-model AI. The new platform will be built with a focus on
data security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and
responsible AI adoption. Riyadh Air will also leverage Agentic AI
to deploy autonomous bots to enable seamless and personalized
system interactions.
IBM will oversee the installation and deployment of watsonx, as
well as develop AI use cases utilizing IBM Garage methodology to
drive automation and digital transformation.
With IBM Consulting Advantage, an AI-powered delivery platform,
Riyadh Air will deploy AI solutions to boost efficiency and
service, including AI-powered Virtual Assistants for customer and
employee self-service.
"By embedding watsonx at the core of its operations, Riyadh Air
is taking an AI-first approach to redefine air travel and set new
industry standards as the world's first digital-native airline,"
said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice
President and Head of IBM Consulting. "Together we are
supercharging our teams with AI to enhance traveler experiences,
optimize operations, and shape the future of aviation in
Saudi Arabia and beyond."
The airline's decision to partner with IBM Consulting and
watsonx was driven by IBM's strong track record in AI
transformation, backed by successful past engagements with Riyadh
Air that established trust and credibility. IBM's immersive
engagement model played a key role in the expanded relationship.
Hands-on AI workshops showcased real-world benefits for
guests and employees, and IBM offered AI technology and enterprise
services into an integrated solution tailored to Riyadh Air's
digital goals. Additionally, IBM Consulting Advantage allows Riyadh
Air employees and IBM consultants to work side by side to deliver
rapid innovation, scalable solutions, and accelerated value helping
Riyadh Air shape next-generation travel experiences.
Riyadh Air's AI-driven strategy aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to
serve 330 million passengers annually by 2030, positioning the
Kingdom as a global aviation hub. By embedding AI across its
ecosystem, Riyadh Air sets a new industry benchmark as a truly
digital-native airline. This collaboration with IBM marks a
transformative leap forward, enabling a comprehensive, intelligent,
and highly personalized travel experience designed to anticipate
and adapt to the evolving needs of travelers worldwide.
About Riyadh Air
Riyadh Air is a world-class airline owned by the Public
Investment Fund (PIF). Launched in March 2023, the airline
will be a digitally-led, full service airline that
adopts the best global sustainability and
safety practices across its advanced fleet of aircraft.
Riyadh Air will equip its aircrafts with the most advanced,
state-of-the-art features with innovative, best-in-class cabin
interiors and experiences, including next generation digital
in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity
solutions. Riyadh Air will connect guests to over 100
destinations around the world by 2030 through offering an
exceptional guest experience with an authentic, warm
Saudi hospitality at its heart.
For more information please visit our
website: www.riyadhair.com - and for any media inquiries
please contact us at: media@riyadhair.com
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid
cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more
than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data,
streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the
competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government
and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as
financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's
hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital
transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's
breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing,
industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and
flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's
long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility,
inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more
information.
Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
IBM media contact:
Aymen Alfaraj
IBM Communciations
Aymen.Alfaraj@ibm.com
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