Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: Saudi Arabia’s new world-class airline, Riyadh Air, formed a strategic partnership with Mastercard to elevate the global travel experience for people and businesses.

The partnership aims to introduce a wide range of innovations spanning consumer payments, premium airport experiences, and next-generation B2B travel payments, the airline announced in a press release today.

As part of this collaboration, Riyadh Air will launch Riyadh Air-branded Mastercard credit and prepaid cards, enabling cardholders to earn flights, upgrades, lifestyle rewards, and exclusive experiences, all seamlessly embedded within the Riyadh Air ecosystem.

Set to roll out to Saudi residents in late 2026, the cards will be fully integrated into the Riyadh Air mobile application, enabling guests to apply, activate, manage features, and track rewards effortlessly.

Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer at Riyadh Air, affirmed that the partnership will allow Riyadh Air to deliver exceptional journeys for our guests around the world. “Our deep collaboration with Mastercard clearly reflects not only our commitment to be a digital native airline but strong confidence in our future trajectory. It allows us to build a travel experience that is seamless, digital, and distinctly differentiated,” he said.

In turn, Dimitrios Dosis, President for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Mastercard, stated that the partnership underscores Mastercard’s role in creating meaningful solutions, paving the way for smart, secure, and seamless payments. “Together with Riyadh Air, we are creating an integrated digitally-native ecosystem that delivers value at every touchpoint, for guests, travel agents, airlines, and hospitality partners, while reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s role as a global travel hub.”

Riyadh Air and Mastercard will also establish a joint center of excellence focusing on agentic innovation, shared data insights, and upskilling the next generation of talent.

The hub will leverage cutting-edge technologies and real-world use cases to design, test, and scale new solutions, ultimately helping both entities to respond rapidly to market needs.