Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, is introducing a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its London Heathrow-Riyadh route, with tickets now available. Flights between Heathrow and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will start on July 1 2026 with a Manchester start date to be announced soon. Riyadh Air has operated daily flights from London’s Terminal 4 since October 2025, but the new London service will operate exclusively on the airline’s new state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

Mark Cooke has joined BCD Travel as Director of Multinational Sales, reporting to Sales Vice President James Diaz. Formerly Head of European Client Success at Reed & Mackay, and with more than 30 years in the travel industry, he brings a strong client-centric perspective to engaging prospects. At BCD, he will focus on the Energy, Resources and Marine sectors, helping organisations design and optimise their global travel programmes from the outset.

American Express GBT has joined the Plug and Play Travel and Hospitality Innovation Program as an anchor member for 2026, to identify and support innovative tech startups. Amex GBT will play an active role in the program’s direction, including providing input on the technologies and startups selected for the accelerator and gain structured access to pre-screened startups across Plug and Play’s network of over 100,000 startups across more than 60 countries, both within travel and beyond, to identify breakthroughs that raise the bar for travellers.

Air Transat has launched its first non-stop flight connecting London with Ottawa. Flight TS383 is the only direct route between London Gatwick and the Canadian capital. Flights will operate three times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays leaving London Gatwick at 09:40 and landing in Ottawa at 12:40 (local time), while return flights depart Ottawa at 19:40 and arrive in London on the following day at 07:55. The seasonal flight will run until October 23 2026 and roundtrip fares start from £367 per person.

Peter Norris will step down as Chair of Virgin Atlantic on May 31 after 14 years in the role. He will be succeeded at Virgin Atlantic by Josh Bayliss, CEO of Virgin Group. Norris guided Virgin Atlantic through one of its most important defining periods, playing a pivotal role in forging strategic partnerships, including the establishment of the transatlantic Joint Venture with shareholder Delta Air Lines and with Air France-KLM; entry into the SkyTeam alliance, and development of the partnership with Virgin Red, the Virgin rewards club and loyalty partner.

Justin Penny, Head of Supply EMEA at Flight Centre Travel Group, has joined the Executive Board of the Business Travel Association. Having worked with customers and supply partners across FCM and Corporate Traveller, he previously held key leadership roles including UK Head of Sales for Corporate Traveller UK and Head of Aviation for Flight Centre Travel Group. Douglas O’Neill, Chair of the BTA Board, said: “With a diverse background in retail and supply management, Justin’s knowledge ensures a well-rounded approach to our board’s goals. We are eager to build on our leadership and collaboration, further strengthening our advocacy for the business travel sector.”