Riyadh Air & Saudia: Dominating sport from the skies

As Saudi Arabia intensifies its global sports strategy, two state-owned airlines – Saudia and the newly launched Riyadh Air – are competing for prominence in the sports sponsorship world.

For years, the sports world has become accustomed to seeing prominent airline carriers like Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways sponsor high-profile sporting events and teams across the globe.

Now, Saudi Arabia is applying the same strategy and is also leveraging its airlines as ambassadors carrying celebrated sports stars to promote both the airline and a vision of Saudi Arabia as a luxury travel destination.  

Saudia’s role in the Kingdom’s strategy

Founded in 1945, Saudia, the state-owned airline, has long been a significant player in Saudi Arabia’s sports business. Over the years, it has sponsored numerous high-profile events in the Kingdom, including the 2022 boxing match between Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk and the 2023 clash between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.

As of 2024, Saudia continues to be at the forefront of promoting Saudi Arabia through sponsorships of a wide array of sporting events.

Some of Saudia’s many sponsorships

  •    Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 1 & 2
  •    Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
  •    Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou
  •    2024 Saudi Cup
  •    2024 Fursan Cup
  •    2024 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup
  •    2024 Diriyah E-Prix
  •    Formula E
  •    2024 PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs
  •    Newcastle United’s Official Airline Partner
  •    2024 Riyadh Season Cup
  •    2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker
  •    Six Kings Slam
  •    2024 Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo

For a full list of Saudia’s sports sponsorships, explore the complete dataset

Riyadh Air: The new contender

In March 2023, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prime minister of Saudi Arabia and chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the launch of the nation’s new flagship carrier, Riyadh Air.

The airline, wholly owned by the PIF, is chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the PIF, who also holds an extensive portfolio of other leadership roles within the Kingdom.

Years before the planned maiden flight in 2025, Riyadh Air has made significant sponsorship deals with actors in sport.

In August 2023, just five months after its launch, Riyadh Air made waves by becoming the new main sponsor of the renowned Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid. Then, in August 2024, the airline expanded its footprint in global sports by signing a multi-year partnership with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf).

In October 2024, Riyadh Air captured the attention of nostalgic football fans by securing a historic nine-year agreement with Atlético de Madrid for the naming rights to the club's iconic stadium, Metropolitano.

Going forward, the stadium will be known as the Riyadh Air Metropolitano – a strategic move by the Saudi state to elevate Riyadh Air’s brand while generating goodwill within the community.

This landmark deal was celebrated in an official statement as the club’s most important sponsor to date.

As the latest addition to Riyadh Air’s sponsorship portfolio, the airline signed an agreement with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) as the official airline partner for the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.