Riyadh Air has announced a partnership with IBM that will see the US tech giant’s WatsonX and its suite of AI solutions integrated into the airline’s guest and employee experiences.
Saudi’s new airline Riyadh Air is set to embark on its maiden flight by the end of 2025, and the company said it turned to IBM as it wants to put AI as “the driving force behind” its position as the world’s first digital native carrier.
Riyadh Air is being launched as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to serve 330 million passengers annually by 2030.
Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air chief financial officer, said: “By deepening our collaboration with IBM, we are harnessing the power of AI, from intelligent customer interactions to optimised flight operations, to set a new benchmark for the future of aviation.”
The agreement will see IBM Consulting act as the primary digital integrator for WatsonX and IBM’s other AI tools to develop a platform which will be built with a focus on data security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and responsible AI adoption.
“By embedding WatsonX at the core of its operations, Riyadh Air is taking an AI-first approach to redefine air travel and set new industry standards as the world’s first digital-native airline,” said Mohamad Ali, SVP and head of IBM Consulting.
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“Together we are supercharging our teams with AI to enhance traveller experiences, optimise operations, and shape the future of aviation in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
IBM’s WatsonX has been deployed across various industries, with applications in predictive maintenance, natural language processing for customer service, and AI-driven analytics to enhance decision-making.
In aviation, AI-powered tools like WatsonX can streamline operations by predicting aircraft maintenance needs, automating customer support interactions, and optimising scheduling to reduce delays.
Other airlines that have recently turned to AI to modernise their services include Lufthansa, which has implemented AI-driven predictive maintenance to reduce aircraft downtime.
Source: https://techinformed.com/
