Riyadh Air Cabin Interior

PriestmanGoode was chosen by Riyadh Air to shape not only the interiors of its inaugural fleet, but the very essence of its brand—creating a premium passenger experience rooted in comfort, technology, and longevity. Through material innovation, and a distinctive design language, PG helped establish Riyadh Air as a bold new competitor in global aviation.

Challenge

How do you design the identity of an airline that doesn’t yet exist? Riyadh Air entrusted PriestmanGoode with more than just crafting the interiors of its inaugural fleet—they asked us to help define the airline and launch it into the global market.

Unlike legacy carriers with decades of history to draw upon, Riyadh Air was starting from a blank slate. This was both an opportunity and a challenge: the freedom to shape something entirely new, but also the responsibility to create a design language that would resonate with passengers and stand the test of time.

The goal for the onboard experience was clear: to establish Riyadh Air as a premium carrier, built around three core pillars:

Comfort

Technology

Longevity

Every element of the widebody design needed to reinforce these principles. At the same time, it had to capture the airline’s ambition to be a strong global competitor and bring the world to Riyadh, and Riyadh to the world.

Adding to the complexity was an ambitious 18-month timeline—a standard timeframe for a non-customised cabin, but Riyadh Air required a bespoke cabin design, custom materials, and innovative features. This required an agile and reactive approach, adapting our process to meet the needs of a startup airline while maintaining a commitment to excellence.  PriestmanGoode was well placed and experienced to accept this challenge.

Solution

From the start of the process PriestmanGoode adopted the role of brand guardian, ensuring that every visible and invisible touchpoint seamlessly expressed Riyadh Air’s identity. Rather than simply designing a cabin, PG crafted a comprehensive passenger experience that resonated emotionally with travelers.

To inform the design,  team members from across PriestmanGoode’s multiple services immersed themselves in the culture of Riyadh, capturing the essence of the culture by visiting and exploring the city. The team explored resources from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism to ensure the designs were rooted in the local heritage but with a modern vision for the future. 

At the centre of the design was the Canopy Twist, a motif inspired by regional architecture. This design element served as a unifying symbol across the airline’s ecosystem, blending heritage with modernity. It was reflected in surfaces such as the livery, brand panels, lighting, and textiles, reinforcing the airline’s identity. In the cabin, it enhances the feeling of personal space for Business Class passengers and acts as a structure for light projection—creating depth, movement and a seamless link between seat and cabin lighting, reminiscent of Kafd architectural elements that illuminate Riyadh at night.

Most materials were custom-designed, with a unique pearlescent paint on the canopy that reflects light. Developed in collaboration with Mankiewicz, this single-coat self-texturing pearlescent paint enhances the visual richness of the Canopy Twist while also improving maintenance and lifecycle performance.

PriestmanGoode’s Colour, Material and Finish (CMF) team developed a custom fabric with Rohi for the Economy dress cover featuring a distinctive flip design, incorporating pink and purple threads that change shades depending on the angle of view. The Rohi textile was woven with an indigo base and peach and lavender threads to create a subtle iridescent effect that resonates with the brand livery, adding an elevated tactile and visual experience.

Central to the design was a commitment to passenger comfort. PriestmanGoode introduced a bespoke topper to enhance seat comfort in both Business Class and Premium Economy classes, designed choreographed lighting scenes to shape the onboard atmosphere, and optimised seat heights in Business Class to create a tailored experience for passengers. The Canopy Twist played a pivotal role in this, allowing for light projection and adding a sense of movement throughout the cabin.

Through rounds of iterative prototyping, PG refined and perfected the design. The team utilised 3D printing and foam spatial mock-ups to test comfort and ergonomics in workshops, layering foam and wadding while experimenting with various fabric sizes. Lighting mock-ups and collaborative workshops with Boeing were also crucial for testing colors and materials. This collaborative process involved close partnerships with the client and suppliers, such as Safran Seats, ensuring every detail was meticulously crafted.

Ultimately, this project highlights PriestmanGoode’s unique capability to launch a new airline, defining and designing not just interiors but entire brand worlds. PG’s approach, where design, strategy, and storytelling converge, has created something truly exceptional and positions Riyadh Air as a bold new airline in the aviation industry.