Riyadh Air assessment centre 2026 from a first cohort crew member: the format, the Saudi and international mix and what the new airline is looking for
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#1 Riyadh Air, first cohort, from Jeddah, and there are two threads on here about the first wave from the applicant side. This is from inside: what the assessment looked like, who was in the room, and what the airline was and is looking for, because the second and third waves are running and the format has settled.
The set up
Riyadh Air is the new Saudi national carrier launching out of Riyadh with 787s, building a crew from zero. The first cohort was recruited through assessment centres in Riyadh, Jeddah and abroad (London, Dubai, Manila, Mumbai, Cairo and others). The mix in my cohort: roughly half Saudi nationals, half international, with experienced crew from the Gulf carriers, Europe and Asia mixed with fresh candidates.
The assessment day
Smaller than the Emirates events, 40 to 80 per session, and more structured. Registration and the reach test (212). A presentation about the airline and the vision, watched. A group exercise on a service scenario, with assessors who spoke to us afterwards, which was unusual. An English test. A one on one competency interview. For experienced crew, a second conversation about the previous airline and why the move.
What they were looking for
People who would build something rather than join something. Every interviewer asked a version of 'what would you do when the manual does not exist yet', which was true for the first cohort: we wrote parts of it. Adaptability, patience with a start up, and a genuine interest in Saudi Arabia rather than in the Gulf generally. The Saudi candidates were asked about the international crew; the international candidates were asked about living in Riyadh specifically, which is not Dubai and does not pretend to be.
The Saudi nationals
The airline has a target for Saudi crew and the Saudi women in the cohort are, for many of us, the first generation of Saudi cabin crew at a national carrier. That is a specific and proud thing and the assessment treated it that way. Saudi candidates without hospitality experience were considered on attitude and English.
Training
At the new academy in Riyadh, long, and thorough in the way a new airline has to be because the regulator is watching. The first cohorts trained before the aircraft arrived and did the practical on other carriers' equipment in places.
The package
Competitive with the Gulf carriers, housing arrangements, and the Saudi context: Riyadh is opening up fast and it is still Riyadh. The international crew who are happy are the ones who came for the building, not for a Dubai lifestyle. The ones who expected Dubai left in the first months.
For applicants now
The format above is the format. The question about building is still the question. Come for the airline, not the region, and you will do well.
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#2 In training in Riyadh, later cohort, and the format is exactly as Mariam says. The 'when the manual does not exist' question was asked to me too, and the honest answer that got me through was 'I would ask and then write it down'.
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#3 Saudi, and I want to underline the first generation point. My sister is in the second cohort and our parents attended the wings ceremony. That did not exist five years ago. The assessment treats it with the seriousness it deserves.
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#4 Emirates, and two of my colleagues went to Riyadh Air in the first wave. Both say the same: it is building, not joining, and Riyadh is not Dubai. One loves it. One came back. The assessment question filters exactly for that difference.
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#5 Cairo, applying to the Gulf, and the Riyadh Air Cairo event was the smallest and most structured I have attended. The assessors talking to us after the group task was the surprise. Fair description.
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#6 Gulf Air, and the new Saudi carriers are the conversation at every small Gulf carrier now. Crew are moving. The ones who move for the building are the ones who stay.
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#7 Kuwait Airways, and same conversation in Kuwait. The package is competitive, the city is the decision. Mariam's honesty about Riyadh not pretending to be Dubai is the thing applicants need.
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#8 Qatar joiner, and I considered Riyadh Air and chose Doha because I wanted an airline that existed. Reading this, the builders are a different type and I respect it. Not my type. Good thread.