Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas is confident in Saudi Arabia's prospects both as a tourist destination and as a tourist hub. Credit: Neville Hopwood/Getty Images for Etihad
A British chief executive building one of the world's largest airlines for Saudi Arabia insists the country can be a 'playing ground for all' despite poor human rights record .
Tony Douglas, former head of Etihad Airways and one of the Gulf's most senior corporate executives, says new carrier Riyadh Air “will be the history of the next 10 years” for the aviation sector.
A week later, when the Gulf State called for new allegations of “sport laundering” by taking control of a global professional golf organization, Mr Douglas said Saudi Arabia could replicate the success of Dubai's economic and social liberalization and become a popular tourist destination.
Mr. Douglas was hired along with Peter Bellew, a former First Lieutenant of Michael O' Leary, to build the multi-billion dollar Riyadh Air from the ground up.
The carrier is a key part of a master plan devised by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to turn Saudi Arabia into a hub for business, culture and tourism in the Gulf. The move is seen by experts as an attempt by MBS to wrest control from neighboring states that have benefited from economic and social liberalization.
The airline will be based at a newly built airport in the Saudi Arabian capital. It will have six runways and be able to handle up to 120 million passengers by 2030, about 50% more than even Heathrow could boast at its peak in 2019.
In addition to the huge new airport and an air carrier, it is estimated that the Saudi royal family has allocated $4 trillion to a variety of attractions to attract visitors.
The most compelling of MBS's economic and social plans, called “Vision 2030”, is the construction of a new £400bn cross-border city-state of Neom in the west of the country.
Projects such as the new metropolis of Neom could help Saudi Arabia become the dominant tourist destination in the Arabian Peninsula. Photo: NEOM/AFP via Getty Images
Social reforms are also planned, and foreign observers say there are already signs that the strict observance of Islamic values is being phased out.
However, while the role of women in society has changed in recent years, many human rights are still curtailed. Homosexuality is still a criminal offense and can be punished by execution.
The Washington-based non-profit Freedom House rates the autocratic country just eight out of 100 in its Civil and Political Freedoms Index.
>However, Mr. Douglas, who was also a former head of the UK Department of Defense, urged people to judge the country by themselves.
“Twenty-five years ago, many people in the West had no concept of Dubai. Now look at Dubai. It's a playground for everyone,” he said.
Insisting that Saudi Arabia is “hospitable” and “family-oriented,” Mr. Douglas urged Britons to “go, see, see and then express your own opinion” before making up your mind about the country.
He continued: “More than 50 years ago, when I was a child, I took personal safety for granted. You didn't have to think about it.”
Referring to his home in Saudi Arabia, he said: “Where I live, come visit me; the door of my villa is open. You walk in and wonder why the door isn't locked? If you get into my car – which is important – at the entrance, the doors will open, and the keys are in it.
“There is no antisocial behavior. There is no crime here.”
Mr. Douglas claims that Saudi Arabia is the second most searched country on the Internet this year.
“Let's go. It will probably be one of the most visited places,” he insisted.
Tony Douglas takes over rival Gulf state airline Etihad and then took the top job at the nascent Riyadh Air. New aircraft orders may be announced soon.
Airlines around the world are struggling with shortages of new aircraft, parts and labor. However, Riyadh Air's order size is expected to make them a priority.
The carrier will need aircraft soon: Mr. Douglas wants the airline to fly to more than 100 destinations within seven years.
< p>He stated that there would be no recruitment issues despite the well-publicized problems with competing carriers. Just 12 weeks after MBS officially announced the new airline, 336,000 people applied for jobs.
“Representatives of 146 nationalities,” Douglas said. “[Includes] 48,000 pilots.”
MBS tasked Mr. Douglas with building an airline with “obsessive attention to detail and guest convenience”, in his words, with “quality of service” as a top priority.
He added: “And make sure it's a native digital
Saudi Arabia “has the highest number of Apple iOS users per capita, making it the most digitally literate population in the world,” he says, but declines to elaborate.
Riyah Air promises to share more about its approach at the Paris Air Show later this month.
The airline is a key part of MBS' plans to diversify the kingdom away from dependence on oil revenues as the world moves away from fossil fuels.
Saudi Arabia unveiled the latest part of their plans last week with a shock merger of the PGA Tour, European DP Tour and Kingdom-backed LIV Golf.
The new unified body will be supported by the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Fund in the amount of $700 billion.
The deployment of Riyadh Air is part of MBS' plans to diversify its kingdom away from oil. : CHARLIE TRIBAGLO/AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, football players Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have joined or are about to join Saudi teams on lucrative contracts reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The country has already built tourist destinations on the Red Sea.
“There are moments that make the Caribbean look a little cheesy,” Douglas said. “You have mountains, you have deserts. You have forests. You have UNESCO sites.
Outsiders say Riyadh Air's ability to steal market share from local rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways will require Saudi Arabia to roll back its alcohol ban, as the two neighboring flag carriers did.
The Wall Street Journal Last September It was reported last year that a wine bar, a cocktail bar and a selection of “champagne and desserts” would be offered at the seaside resort in Neom.
The consumption, production or sale of alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia. Those who break the ban face heavy fines, jail time or up to 500 lashes.
However, Mr. Douglas declined to comment on whether Riyad Air would follow suit and offer alcohol on board.
“Legislation, whatever it may be in the future, we will follow,” he said.
The Briton’s comments came as global airline executives gathered in Istanbul for the annual general meeting of Iata, the influential a trade organization led by former British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh.
The Telegraph reported that BA was one of a group of large British companies that were the victims of a Russia-related cyberattack. BA was forced to write to its 34,000 employees warning that their data, including national insurance numbers, bank account details and addresses, could be compromised.
Mr Douglas said Riyadh Air would avoid such data breaches because the airline will not be burdened with outdated IT systems that will make it vulnerable to cyberattacks.
He said: “Because we are starting from scratch, we do not have the legacy of 40 a process that we'll learn for good reason, but damn hard to give up.” Mr. Douglas seems undaunted.
For him, the offer is simple: “You have the second fastest growing economy in the world. You have the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula with the largest population.
“Mission has absolute clarity.”
Knowing what to do is one thing. Execution is completely different.
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