Riyadh Air is one of the hottest tickets in international cabin crew recruitment right now. The airline is holding hiring events around the world, the package is strong, and thousands of candidates are weighing up a move to the Saudi capital.
We can’t sugar coat what comes next. The security situation in Saudi Arabia has become serious over the past few weeks, and Riyadh’s main airport, the place you would report for work, has been hit more than once.
We are not saying this to scare you or to talk you out of applying. We are saying it because you should make this decision with the full picture in front of you, and you are unlikely to hear it at a recruitment event.
Why So Many Cabin Crew Want to Join Riyadh Air
The appeal is real. Unlike Saudia, Riyadh Air is recruiting a cosmopolitan mix of nationalities, closer to what you would find at Emirates or Etihad Airways than at Saudia or even Qatar Airways. For candidates, the draw comes down to five things:
- Pay that sits at the strong end of the Gulf market
- Free accommodation in Riyadh
- A very well-funded start-up with major international growth ambitions
- Brand new aircraft, with Boeing 787-9s already flying and Airbus A321neos and A350-1000s on order
- A designer uniform, created by Saudi couturier Ashi
Joining an airline this early also means faster progression than you would typically see at an established carrier.
The Compromises That Were Already There
Even before the latest developments, Riyadh came with trade-offs, especially for Western candidates.
Saudi Arabia is a dry country. You will not be ordering a drink in a hotel bar or a restaurant. It also remains religiously conservative, and there are no beach clubs or any of the other draws that make Dubai and Abu Dhabi so attractive to expat crew.
The reality is that, despite the kingdom’s wealth, Saudi Arabia isn’t nearly as luxe as you might imagine. Some of the mega projects that put the country in the headlines in recent years are now stalling, and on the same massive scale they were announced.
What Is Happening Now
Riyadh and the rest of Saudi Arabia escaped the vast majority of Iran’s attacks on the Gulf in March and April. However, a long-running conflict with Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen is now boiling over.
In recent months, the Houthis have targeted Saudi Arabia on a scale we have not seen before. The attacks began with the kingdom’s oil infrastructure. On October 5, the group warned airlines that Saudi airspace should be considered unsafe and vowed to target civil aviation.
Several major Saudi airports have since been attacked, including Riyadh King Khalid International Airport. At least three people have been killed in recent days and dozens more have been wounded. On Thursday, a ballistic missile strike on Riyadh destroyed a Saudia Airbus A320 series aircraft on the ground. In September, another attack hit a fuel storage tank at the same airport.
Saudi Arabia has extensive air defences, but some Houthi missiles are getting through. The US State Department has warned that the situation could deteriorate further.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are an armed movement from northern Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbour. In 2014 they seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and pushed out the government. In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition into Yemen to restore that government, and the two sides have been enemies ever since.
The Houthis are backed by Iran, which supplies them with missiles and drones. A truce in 2022 brought several quiet years, but it broke down this summer, and Saudi-backed forces are now fighting to retake Sanaa. The attacks on Saudi airports are the Houthi response.
What Does This Mean for Riyadh Air Recruitment?
It is still too early to tell.
Riyadh Air is in a growth phase. It is taking delivery of new aircraft and adding new routes, and if it grows as planned it will need a lot more cabin crew. The real question is whether the airline has to temper those ambitions, at least temporarily, while the threat remains.
There is a recent precedent. Dubai faced wave after wave of Iranian attacks earlier this year, yet Emirates has largely bounced back. If Riyadh follows the same pattern as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, any slowdown in cabin crew hiring is likely to be temporary.
The problem is that nobody knows how the coming months will play out. The conflict between the US and Iran has never come to an official end. Exports through the Strait of Hormuz remain curtailed. Iran’s military capabilities have been badly degraded, but it is still arming the Houthis in what amounts to a proxy war. Meanwhile, the US has so far stayed out of the fight between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, and it has not explained why.
What Should Candidates Do?
None of this means you should walk away. It means you should go in with your eyes open.
- Keep abreast of the news. The situation is moving quickly. Follow developments yourself so you can make an informed decision when an offer arrives.
- Read your own government’s travel advice for Saudi Arabia. It is written for people in exactly your position and it changes as the situation does.
- Don’t resign from your current job until you have a confirmed joining date in writing. This is sound advice for any Gulf carrier, and it matters more than ever here.
- Talk it through with the people at home. They will be watching the news while you are away.
Riyadh Air’s offer is still a good one. The airline is well funded, its ambitions are intact for now, and plenty of crew will decide the opportunity outweighs the risk. That is a perfectly reasonable conclusion to reach, as long as you reach it knowing what is happening.
For help with the application itself, start with our Ultimate Recruitment Guide and our Free CV Templates.
