Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas charts a vision for sustainable aviation
New Saudi airline aims to be a sustainability leader
Tony Douglas is serious about sustainability.
In his previous role as the CEO of Etihad, Douglas gained a reputation for being forward-thinking on airline sustainability. He was even the very first guest on our ‘Sustainability in the Air’ podcast.
As the recently appointed CEO of Riyadh Air, he’s now bringing that ethos to the new Saudi airline. Speaking prior to the 2023 Paris Air Show, he bluntly stated the importance of going green:
“It will be commercial aviation sustainability that will differentiate the winners and the losers. Anybody who doesn’t take it seriously will probably fail.”
Due to launch in 2025, Riyadh Air aims to serve 100 destinations from Riyadh by 2030 and has ordered 72 Dreamliner aircraft from Boeing. In Paris, the airline showcased its first purple livery, with a second livery due to be unveiled later this year.
We caught up with Tony Douglas during the Paris Air Show to talk more about sustainability. Here are some key learnings from our conversation.
We can’t sugarcoat the scale of the challenge
Douglas understands that achieving net zero by 2050 is hugely challenging:
“There’s no point in sugarcoating it, because the fundamental physics of powered flight today render the challenge borderline — and I stress the word borderline —impossible.”
However, he believes there is a path forward. Douglas says he is compelled by the power of humankind that has overcome fearsome challenges throughout history. But that will require all of our collective ingenuity.
We need to avoid ‘whipping boy’ behaviour
Douglas emphasises that all parts of the aviation ecosystem need to cooperate and collaborate for a green future.
“Through media channels, I quite often read an article that says that it is all down to the airlines; if only they did this”, says Douglas.
“At other times, I’ve seen that it is down to the engine manufacturers; if only they did that. And sometimes, it’s the oil companies with sustainable aviation fuels. Other times it’s governments, policy setters, regulators, airports.”
Instead, Douglas says all of the above need to come together to make the future a reality.
“Having a whipping boy type of mindset does little other than create a very human response — defensive behaviour.”
Being a startup is an advantage
Riyadh Air, of course. has the advantage of not having to inherit older, less efficient legacy systems. Douglas believes this is immensely useful while tackling a futuristic challenge.
He says that since the airline has no legacy, one of the responsibilities that it has — and something the brand will stand for — is being a thought leader in the commercial aviation sustainability space.
“By definition, on day one, we’ll have the world’s newest and most efficient fleet in terms of airframes, engines, and control systems.”
Sustainability initiatives can set off a chain reaction
Douglas referenced some of the projects that happened under his watch at Etihad to show how they can set off a chain reaction:
“I’ve done things like the Greenliner and Sustainable 50. They were programmes designed to create a conversation, to create a less anecdotal and more evidence-based reference point.”
As a result of these intiatives, Satavia started working with Etihad “almost by chance” on contrail reduction research.
Douglas is aiming to make similar things happen at Riyadh Air:
“We’re going to make a big statement about environmental sustainability criteria and the characteristics that are necessary. We can’t fix them all ourselves, and we understand that, but we want to get a community working with us that can help.”
SAF supply issues will remain challenging
As Riyadh Air will be operating a mainly long-haul fleet, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is its only realistic short- to medium-term decarbonisation option.
However, there is little to no SAF available in the Middle East, with only some small-scale initiatives underway. (For example, the UAE project that aims to make biofuels from Salicornia plants.) As a result, airlines often use a book-and-claim system through US SAF suppliers, like World Energy.
Tony Douglas recognises the supply issue:
“I remember doing an eco-demonstrator flight from London Heathrow where I managed to source 38% of the fuel from SAF. I actually wanted 50% but I couldn’t get it.
I think it's fair to assert that it's going to go in the right direction, but almost certainly not fast enough. So then the question will be, what else can we do?”
The situation will likely be vastly different by the time Riyadh Air takes to the skies in two years. The airline’s advantage is that it is not flying yet, giving it two years between now and when their first aircraft will be fuelled.
No plans yet for next-generation propulsion systems
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) companies like Joby, Archer, Volocopter and Lilium were present in force at the Paris Air Show. All have agreements with airlines to bring passengers to hubs via electric air taxis. Is Riyadh Air planning something similar? (Remember that Saudia has signed up for 100 eVTOLs from Lilium.)
While the new and emerging technologies at the Show have Douglas excited, he remains non-committal and stressed it is still early days:
“I’d never rule anything out. But you know, we’re three months into a startup. And like many things in life, you walk, then you run.”
Our take
On sustainability, Tony Douglas has impressed us for two reasons. He is clearly one of the most knowledgeable airline CEOs on the topic. He has actually engaged with the subject and he’s honest about the scale of the challenge.
In our conversation, he couldn’t yet disclose the actual details of Riyadh Air’s sustainability play, as the airline is still two years from launch.
However, from his comments, we can estimate that he intends to build on much of the playbook he operated at Etihad. A number of landmark initiatives there show what’s possible in the future.