{"id":5883214,"date":"2026-07-17T09:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:22:56","slug":"riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>Two and a half weeks after it flew its very first paying passengers, Saudi Arabia\u2019s brand-new airline has been handed the keys to the world\u2019s second-biggest aviation market. Riyadh Air is going to China.<\/p><p>The Civil Aviation Administration of China has cleared the carrier to fly to Beijing and Shanghai &mdash; three weekly flights to Beijing Daxing and four to Shanghai Pudong. For an airline that only launched scheduled service on 1 July, reaching China this fast is a statement of intent.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.03em\">QUICK FACTS<\/p><table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Airline<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Riyadh Air \u2014 Saudi Arabia\u2019s new flag carrier<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Approval<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Beijing<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">3 weekly flights to Beijing Daxing<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Shanghai<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">4 weekly flights to Shanghai Pudong<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Launched<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">First passenger service on 1 July 2026 (to London)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Fleet<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, growing to 8 aircraft by end of July<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Ambition<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">22 destinations by March 2027; a global hub for Saudi Vision 2030<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From zero to China in a fortnight<\/h2><p>Riyadh Air is not a legacy carrier easing into a new route. It is a start-up backed by Saudi Arabia\u2019s sovereign wealth fund, built from scratch to turn the Saudi capital into a global connecting hub and to carry the country\u2019s Vision 2030 tourism ambitions on its wings. Its first flight left for London barely a fortnight ago.<\/p><p>Getting Chinese regulatory approval this early matters because China is hard to crack: slots, bilateral rights and CAAC clearance are all tightly controlled. Winning seven weekly frequencies into Beijing and Shanghai gives Riyadh Air an instant foothold in one of the most lucrative long-haul markets on earth.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1384755553  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/4f\/Riyadh_Air_Boeing_787_at_Dubai_Airshow_2023.jpg\/1280px-Riyadh_Air_Boeing_787_at_Dubai_Airshow_2023.jpg\" alt=\"A Riyadh Air Boeing 787 in its indigo livery\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Riyadh Air Boeing 787-9 in the carrier\u2019s distinctive indigo livery. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The China plan is not new &mdash; it is a promise being kept. Back in 2023, chief executive Tony Douglas laid out exactly this ambition.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We hope to launch a direct flying from Riyadh to Beijing in 2026, and we also hope to see more flights to other cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Tony Douglas<\/strong> &mdash; CEO, Riyadh Air (speaking in 2023)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A hub built at speed<\/h2><p>Douglas has said incoming deliveries will grow the fleet to eight aircraft by the end of July, with the network reaching 22 destinations by March 2027. The airline is even weighing an order for 30 more 787 Dreamliners on top of its existing commitments &mdash; a sign it intends to scale fast rather than cautiously.<\/p><p>The backbone of all this is the 787-9: long range, efficient, and comfortable enough to make a nine-hour hop to Shanghai a selling point rather than an endurance test. For Riyadh Air, each new long-haul city is another spoke in a hub-and-spoke map it is drawing in real time.<\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The bigger game<\/h2><p>China and Saudi Arabia have been deepening ties across trade, energy and tourism, and direct air links are the connective tissue that makes those relationships tangible. For travellers, it means a new one-stop option between East Asia and Europe, the Gulf and Africa, routed through Riyadh instead of the established hubs at Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi.<\/p><p>Those incumbents have decades of head start. But Riyadh Air has money, modern jets and a government determined to make it work &mdash; and now, a fortnight into its life, it already has China on the map.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ng1D2MKnvU4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;text-align:center;margin-top:-8px\">Inside Riyadh Air\u2019s new 787-9 and its inaugural service.<\/p><p style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:14px;color:#555\">Sources: Aviation Week; Simple Flying; Aviation A2Z; Travel And Tour World.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-launch-787-london-first-routes-2026\/\">Riyadh Air Takes Off - London First<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/qatar-airways-first-gulf-carrier-caracas-venezuela-bogota\/\">A Gulf First: Qatar Airways Reaches Caracas<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two and a half weeks after it flew its very first paying passengers, Saudi Arabia\u2019s brand-new airline has been handed the keys to the world\u2019s second-biggest aviation market. Riyadh Air is going to China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has cleared the carrier to fly to Beijing and Shanghai &mdash; three weekly flights to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5883220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5883214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"634\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":579,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Aviation World\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":634},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai","description":"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai","og_description":"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":634,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai","datePublished":"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/"},"wordCount":579,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg","articleSection":["Aviation World","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/","name":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T07:09:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T07:22:56+00:00","description":"China has approved Saudi start-up Riyadh Air for 7 weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai \u2014 just two weeks after its first passenger service.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/riyadh-air-787-china-beijing-shanghai.jpg","width":1280,"height":634},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/riyadh-air-china-approval-beijing-shanghai-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Riyadh Air Cleared for Beijing and Shanghai"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5883214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5883214"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5883214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5885390,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5883214\/revisions\/5885390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5883220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5883214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5883214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5883214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}