Riyadh Air opens first premium airport lounge in Saudi Arabia

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Render: Social Lounge

Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier Riyadh Air has opened its first premium airport lounge ahead of its commercial launch in April 2026, debuting the Hafawa Lounge at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as part of its soft-launch phase.

Located between Terminals 1 and 2, the lounge can accommodate up to 370 passengers and is reserved for Business Elite and Business Class travellers, as well as top-tier frequent flyers. Eligible guests can also access a complimentary Blacklane chauffeur service for journeys within 50km of King Khalid airport.

Designed around the Saudi hospitality concept of ‘Hafawa’, which embodies generosity and care for guests, the 2,000-square-metre lounge has been created in collaboration with multidisciplinary studio Yabu Pushelberg and departs from conventional airline lounge design, with a residential-inspired, immersive layout.

Rather than a single open-plan space, it is composed like a home with distinct but connected rooms, designed to support the “emotional side of travel”, with each room offering its own purpose, from relaxation and socialising to digital immersion and private family time.

Render: Buffet & Social Dining area

From the sculptural arrival zone to the Pantry, designed for informal dining and interaction, each environment is intended to suit different needs throughout the journey. The runway-facing Balcony Café offers a more social setting, while quieter spaces such as The Study and The Parlor are designed as private living-room style areas. For more sociable spaces, there’s the Cabinet and the more intimate Cellar, with spa-like bathrooms, garden-facing seating and private sleeping pods providing opportunities for rest and retreat.

Light is integral to the lounge experience, with a carefully programmed circadian system that shifts from warm at dawn to cooler tones at midday and back to warm hues at dusk, echoing the natural rhythm of desert light.

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Authentic elements of Saudi hospitality appear throughout, from traditional coffee and premium dates at arrival to interiors inspired by desert landscapes, using natural materials such as limestone, oak and bronze to create a warm, tactile environment.

Innovation is central to the guest journey, with barrier-free access, digital wayfinding and discreet, technology-enabled service touchpoints supporting Riyadh Air’s digital-first approach.

Render: Immersive Room

Commenting on the opening, Mody Alkhalaf, Director of Guest Experience at Riyadh Air, said the lounge brings together the traditional warmth of Saudi hospitality with contemporary, future-forward design to offer a space that “relaxes, refuels and reenergises guests”.

Riyadh Air is in soft-launch with a single daily service between Riyadh and London Heathrow, operated initially for employees and select guests, ahead of its full commercial debut with direct flights to London and Dubai, followed by services to India in the summer. The airline plans to serve 100 destinations by 2030 with a projected fleet of 132 aircraft.

For more information, visit riyadhair.com