Riyadh Air launches Mumbai route as Saudi carrier’s network hits nine destinations
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Riyadh Air began daily flights between Riyadh and Mumbai on 4 August, marking the Saudi carrier’s first route into India and its latest step in a rapid network expansion across South Asia.
The daily Boeing 787-9 service is the first of four new South Asian destinations the carrier is adding this month. Daily flights to Dhaka, Bangladesh — Riyadh Air’s first connection to Bangladesh — begin 7 August. A daily service to Islamabad follows on 14 August, operating on flight RX0659 departing Riyadh at 13:45 four times a week and flight RX0661 departing at 20:10 three times a week. A service to Lahore is also planned for later in August, with reports varying on the exact start date; a daily service to Manila, the Philippines, is scheduled to begin 9 September.
The additions bring Riyadh Air’s network to nine destinations, up from six at its commercial launch in October 2025. The carrier has said it intends to reach 22 destinations by March 2027, en route to a stated ambition of serving more than 100 international cities by the end of the decade.
Riyadh Air said the new South Asian routes target some of the largest expatriate and labour markets in Saudi Arabia, alongside business, leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic, while reinforcing Riyadh’s position as a connecting hub between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The expansion follows Riyadh Air’s order, firmed at last month’s Farnborough Airshow, for six additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, along with exercised options for 28 more Boeing 787s. The carrier has also recently secured regulatory approval for services to Beijing and Shanghai, and authority to begin operations to the United States.
Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s second national carrier alongside Saudia, positioned by the government as a flagship of the country’s tourism and economic diversification push under Vision 2030.
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A new study models a potential $80.6 billion lift in Australian GDP after a decade, as national testing shows a decline in Year 10 digital literacy.
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Australia trails Singapore and Malta in a new Commonwealth index, while national testing shows fewer than four in 10 Year 10 students meet the standard for digital literacy.
Australia has ranked third among 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness, with researchers estimating that artificial intelligence could lift the level of Australian GDP by $80.6 billion after a decade under their middle scenario.
The Ayre Think Tank released the index at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Australia scored 71 out of 100, behind Singapore on 77.6 and Malta on 75. The United Kingdom followed closely on 70.8, with Canada fifth on 70.2. Only 15 countries reached the study’s benchmark of 53.
What the $80.6 billion figure measures
The researchers applied International Monetary Fund estimates for broad groups of economies to Australia’s 2025 GDP. The resulting scenarios put the potential lift in Australian GDP after 10 years at between $40.9 billion and $120.3 billion, with $80.6 billion representing the midpoint.
The figures describe how much larger the economy could be at the end of the period under each scenario. They represent a change in the level of GDP in year 10.
Digital literacy falls as schools roll out AI tools
Australia scored 8.7 out of 10 for access to technology and 7.5 for digital, data, media and AI capability. Separate national testing found that 37 per cent of Year 10 students met the proficient standard for information and communications technology literacy in 2025, down from 46 per cent in 2022. About one in 10 students reported receiving substantial teaching on AI-related tasks. National assessment results
The report points to two state initiatives aimed at building those skills. Queensland began rolling out an AI education platform in state schools in 2026, while Victoria introduced free specialist training for workers looking to develop AI skills or move into related roles.
The index draws on 1,128 sources and examines the conditions facing people aged 15 to 29, including access to technology, education and pathways into work. Australia had usable data for 76 of the 102 indicators used in the rankings. The researchers found too little comparable evidence to score an eighth area covering critical judgement and people’s ability to exercise control over AI systems.
Professor C. Justin Robinson, campus principal of the University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, said young people should be equipped to question and improve AI tools and supported in building alternatives suited to their needs.
The report calls for affordable access to technology, more practical education and stronger links between training, employment and entrepreneurship. It also urges governments and educators to support AI tools suited to local languages and give young people ways to challenge automated decisions.
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