Saudi Arabia''s Vision 2030 sets explicit aviation targets — 330 million passengers and 100 million tourists annually, a doubling of the domestic network, and the establishment of a second flag carrier. The fleet orders supporting those targets are now arriving, and the hiring market is shifting with them.
Riyadh Air
The new flag carrier launched commercial operations in 2025 and is building a long-haul widebody and narrowbody fleet. The orderbook includes 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (the original order plus a 2024 top-up), 60 Airbus A321neo family aircraft, and 50 widebodies via the high-profile Boeing 777-9 order announced in 2024. Crew hiring is sustained across all categories — flight crew, cabin crew, dispatch, ground ops, and corporate.
Saudia
The legacy flag carrier has been restructuring in parallel with Riyadh Air''s launch. Saudia''s 2023 commitment includes 39 Airbus A321neo (some XLR), and the 2024 order added Boeing 787 widebodies. Cargo operations are also expanding under Saudia Cargo. Cabin crew recruitment campaigns ran through 2024 and 2025 with broad GCC and North African catchment.
flynas
Saudi Arabia''s primary low-cost carrier completed an IPO in 2024 and is in mid-fleet-expansion. The flynas orderbook includes Airbus A320neo family and 30 A330neo widebodies, the latter supporting Hajj and Umrah growth and selected medium-haul destinations. Cadet pilot recruitment has been continuous through 2026.
flyadeal
flyadeal, the low-cost subsidiary aligned with Saudia, is expanding domestically and into the wider region. A 2023 order for 39 Airbus A320neo family aircraft is being delivered through the late 2020s.
Cargo and lessor activity
Saudia Cargo and the new Riyadh Air cargo network are both expanding. AviLease, the Saudi sovereign-backed lessor, has become one of the larger lessors operating from the Kingdom — its growth is creating commercial, fleet management, technical, and contracts roles that aren''t obvious from an airline-only view of the market.
MRO and engineering
The fleet expansion is creating sustained MRO demand. Saudia Technic and contracted MRO partners are hiring B1 and B2 engineers, avionics specialists, and NDT technicians. The capacity build-out includes new hangar facilities at Jeddah and Riyadh.
What this means for hiring
Pilots: continued captain and FO demand across types — A320neo, A321neo, A330neo, B787, B777-X. Type-rated direct-entry candidates have a strong negotiating position into at least 2027.
Cabin crew: aggressive intake into 2027 across Riyadh Air, Saudia, flynas, and flyadeal. Newly-rated crew with regional language skills (Arabic, Urdu, Tagalog, French) are particularly competitive.
MRO and engineering: sustained demand for licensed engineers; the licensed end of the labour market remains tight.
Ground operations, dispatch, load control: large-volume hiring tied to network growth — flexible on prior airline experience.
Corporate and commercial: Riyadh Air''s build-out is particularly active in network planning, revenue management, sales, and digital roles.
What slows it down
The pace of Saudi Vision 2030 hiring is bottlenecked less by aircraft delivery and more by training capacity — simulators, type rating slots, and instructor availability — and by housing and schooling supply in Riyadh. The carriers that solve those issues fastest will move ahead.