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Airline NDC guide · RX

Riyadh Air NDC: how agencies sell an offer-and-order airline

The MAR program, schema 21.3, GDS and aggregator partners, and launch milestones for Saudi Arabia’s new carrier.

By the Tripgic team · Last updated

How does Riyadh Air distribute through NDC?

Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s new full-service carrier (IATA code RX), built without a traditional passenger service system. It sells through an offer-and-order platform from FLYR, and its trade programme, Modern Air Retailing (MAR), gives agencies an API on IATA schema 21.3 for offer creation, order creation, payment and servicing.

That makes NDC the primary way agencies reach Riyadh Air. Sabre and Travelport describe NDC as the main integration with traditional content alongside, and aggregators such as Verteil and TPConnects carry its NDC offers. See our plain-English guide to NDC for the standard itself.

Riyadh Air NDC timeline: key dates

DateWhat changedSource
Oct 2024Riyadh Air selects FLYR for offer management, order management and digital customer experience, so it sells as an order-based carrier rather than on a traditional PSS.source
Apr 2025Verteil Technologies becomes Riyadh Air’s launch NDC aggregator.source
May 2025At Arabian Travel Market, Riyadh Air signs 11 sales and distribution agreements covering 125+ countries, including Amadeus, Sabre, TPConnects and Verteil.source
May 2025Sabre becomes Riyadh Air’s first global distribution partner, combining NDC and traditional content; Riyadh Air had chosen SabreMosaic for offer management.source
May 2025TPConnects agrees to carry Riyadh Air NDC content and servicing on its Iris aggregator.source
Aug 2025Riyadh Air signs a global distribution agreement with Amadeus to distribute its future NDC content in 190+ countries.source
Oct 2025Soft launch: daily Riyadh–London Heathrow service begins on 26 October 2025, at first for select passenger groups and staff.source
Nov 2025Travelport signs a multi-year deal with NDC as the primary integration and legacy content secondary, connecting to the airline’s offer-and-order host.source
Apr 2026Riyadh Air NDC content is live for travel sellers worldwide on the Verteil aggregator, ahead of full commercial launch.source
May 2026Public ticket sales open for Riyadh–London Heathrow through the Riyadh Air app, riyadhair.com and preferred travel providers.source
Jun 2026Public sales open to Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid and Manchester, and the London launch moves up to 10 June 2026.source

Riyadh Air’s network and partner list are growing fast. Check the MAR program page for current terms. Riyadh Air — Modern Air Retailing (MAR) program.

Three ways to access Riyadh Air NDC

You can connect to Riyadh Air directly, through a GDS that carries its NDC content, or through an NDC aggregator. The right choice depends on your engineering capacity and how many airlines you sell.

Direct to Riyadh AirGDS NDCAggregator (Tripgic)
Best forLarge agencies and TMCs with their own NDC engineering teamAgencies already working in a GDS desktop or GDS APIOTAs, B2B platforms and startups that want REST/JSON
What you buildThe MAR API (schema 21.3) plus onboarding with Riyadh AirThe GDS’s NDC workflow, separate from EDIFACTOne REST API; Riyadh Air fares blended with GDS, NDC and LCC content
Airline changesYou track MAR API changesHandled by the GDSHandled in Tripgic’s connector; your JSON stays the same
Other airlinesOne integration per airlineNDC carriers that GDS supportsOther NDC airlines, 3 GDS networks and 67 LCCs

The MAR program: what agencies get

Riyadh Air’s Modern Air Retailing program is its direct channel for travel sellers. The airline describes the agency API as follows. (source)

  • Schema IATA NDC schema 21.3.
  • Functions offer creation, order creation, payment and order servicing.
  • Payment BSP Cash, IATA EasyPay and deferred payment.

What offer-and-order means for sellers

How NDC differs from the GDS in general: NDC vs traditional GDS.

Frequently asked questions

What is Riyadh Air’s MAR program?

Modern Air Retailing (MAR) is Riyadh Air’s trade programme. Its agency API uses IATA schema 21.3 and supports offer creation, order creation, payment and order servicing, with BSP Cash, IATA EasyPay and deferred payment.

Is Riyadh Air available in GDS?

Yes, through NDC-led agreements. Sabre became its first global distribution partner in May 2025, Amadeus signed in August 2025 and Travelport in November 2025, with NDC as the primary integration.

Which NDC version does Riyadh Air use?

Riyadh Air says its MAR agency API uses IATA schema 21.3.

When did Riyadh Air start flying?

Riyadh Air began a soft-launch daily Riyadh–London Heathrow service on 26 October 2025. Public ticket sales opened in May 2026, and the scheduled London launch moved up to 10 June 2026.

How do I access Riyadh Air through Tripgic?

Riyadh Air is available through Tripgic. You integrate one REST API with sandbox credentials, and Riyadh Air fares come back blended with GDS, NDC and low-cost carrier content in the same normalized JSON.

Sources

Other airline NDC guides

Related

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