Riyadh Air and IBM to build AI-driven enterprise, to elevate guest and employee experiences

• Agreement will see Riyadh Air leverage IBM watsonx and IBM Consulting solutions to drive Riyadh Air's vision as the world's first digital native airline
• The collaboration aims to help power the Saudi Arabian airline's mission to launch flights in 2025 while offering an elevated guest experience

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced a new agreement with Riyadh Air, which will integrate watsonx, IBM's portfolio of AI products, and IBM Consulting AI solutions to establish an enterprise-wide AI capability to elevate Riyadh Air guest and employee experiences.  As Riyadh Air prepares for its inaugural flights in late 2025, the new Saudi Arabian airline sets another key building block of its journey in redefining air travel as the world's first digital native carrier.

The announcement took place at the third edition of The FII PRIORITY Miami 2025 Summit, where senior executives from both IBM and Riyadh Air, including Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer, and Mohamad Ali, SVP and Head of IBM Consulting, reaffirmed their commitment to driving innovation in the aviation sector. 

Building a world-class airline requires more than just aircraft and infrastructure; it demands an intelligent digital foundation that anticipates passenger needs, streamlines operations, and empowers employees. Riyadh Air is embracing this challenge by making AI the driving force behind its transformation.

"Riyadh Air is more than just an airline; it is a gateway to new opportunities for travelers from the Kingdom and beyond," said Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer. "As we move closer to our first flight later in 2025, our vision is to deliver a seamless, world-class travel experience by expanding our reach, pioneering innovations, and redefining industry standards. By deepening our collaboration with IBM, we are harnessing the power of AI, from intelligent customer interactions to optimized flight operations, to set a new benchmark for the future of aviation."

This agreement aims to strengthen Riyadh Air's position as a truly digital-native airline, building on IBM's AI-driven products and solutions together with IBM Consulting as its lead systems integrator. watsonx, IBM's portfolio of AI products, will serve as the foundation for Riyadh Air's AI platform, driving mission-critical functions and fostering open innovation with multi-model AI. The new platform will be built with a focus on  data security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and responsible AI adoption. Riyadh Air will also leverage Agentic AI to deploy autonomous bots to enable seamless and personalized system interactions.

IBM will oversee the installation and deployment of watsonx, as well as develop AI use cases utilizing IBM Garage methodology to drive automation and digital transformation.

With IBM Consulting Advantage, an AI-powered delivery platform, Riyadh Air will deploy AI solutions to boost efficiency and service, including AI-powered Virtual Assistants for customer and employee self-service.

"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, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting. "Together we are supercharging our teams with AI to enhance traveler experiences, optimize operations, and shape the future of aviation in Saudi Arabia and beyond."

The airline's decision to partner with IBM Consulting and watsonx was driven by IBM's strong track record in AI transformation, backed by successful past engagements with Riyadh Air that established trust and credibility. IBM's immersive engagement model played a key role in the expanded relationship. Hands-on AI workshops  showcased real-world benefits for guests and employees, and IBM offered AI technology and enterprise services into an integrated solution tailored to Riyadh Air's digital goals. Additionally, IBM Consulting Advantage allows Riyadh Air employees and IBM consultants to work side by side to deliver rapid innovation, scalable solutions, and accelerated value helping Riyadh Air shape next-generation travel experiences.

Riyadh Air's AI-driven strategy aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to serve 330 million passengers annually by 2030, positioning the Kingdom as a global aviation hub. By embedding AI across its ecosystem, Riyadh Air sets a new industry benchmark as a truly digital-native airline. This collaboration with IBM marks a transformative leap forward, enabling a comprehensive, intelligent, and highly personalized travel experience designed to anticipate and adapt to the evolving needs of travelers worldwide.

About Riyadh Air
Riyadh Air is a world-class airline owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Launched in March 2023, the airline will be a digitally-led, full service airline that adopts the best global sustainability and safety practices across its advanced fleet of aircraft. Riyadh Air will equip its aircrafts with the most advanced, state-of-the-art features with innovative, best-in-class cabin interiors and experiences, including next generation digital in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity solutions. Riyadh Air will connect guests to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030 through offering an exceptional guest experience with an authentic, warm Saudi hospitality at its heart. 

For more information please visit our website: www.riyadhair.com - and for any media inquiries please contact us at: media@riyadhair.com

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

IBM media contact:
Aymen Alfaraj
IBM Communciations
Aymen.Alfaraj@ibm.com 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced a new agreement with Riyadh Air, which will integrate watsonx, IBM's portfolio of AI products, and IBM Consulting AI solutions to establish an enterprise-wide AI capability to elevate Riyadh Air guest and employee experiences.  As Riyadh Air prepares for its inaugural flights in late 2025, the new Saudi Arabian airline sets another key building block of its journey in redefining air travel as the world's first digital native carrier.

The announcement took place at the third edition of The FII PRIORITY Miami 2025 Summit, where senior executives from both IBM and Riyadh Air, including Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer, and Mohamad Ali, SVP and Head of IBM Consulting, reaffirmed their commitment to driving innovation in the aviation sector. 

Building a world-class airline requires more than just aircraft and infrastructure; it demands an intelligent digital foundation that anticipates passenger needs, streamlines operations, and empowers employees. Riyadh Air is embracing this challenge by making AI the driving force behind its transformation.

"Riyadh Air is more than just an airline; it is a gateway to new opportunities for travelers from the Kingdom and beyond," said Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer. "As we move closer to our first flight later in 2025, our vision is to deliver a seamless, world-class travel experience by expanding our reach, pioneering innovations, and redefining industry standards. By deepening our collaboration with IBM, we are harnessing the power of AI, from intelligent customer interactions to optimized flight operations, to set a new benchmark for the future of aviation."

This agreement aims to strengthen Riyadh Air's position as a truly digital-native airline, building on IBM's AI-driven products and solutions together with IBM Consulting as its lead systems integrator. watsonx, IBM's portfolio of AI products, will serve as the foundation for Riyadh Air's AI platform, driving mission-critical functions and fostering open innovation with multi-model AI. The new platform will be built with a focus on  data security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and responsible AI adoption. Riyadh Air will also leverage Agentic AI to deploy autonomous bots to enable seamless and personalized system interactions.

IBM will oversee the installation and deployment of watsonx, as well as develop AI use cases utilizing IBM Garage methodology to drive automation and digital transformation.

With IBM Consulting Advantage, an AI-powered delivery platform, Riyadh Air will deploy AI solutions to boost efficiency and service, including AI-powered Virtual Assistants for customer and employee self-service.

"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, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting. "Together we are supercharging our teams with AI to enhance traveler experiences, optimize operations, and shape the future of aviation in Saudi Arabia and beyond."

The airline's decision to partner with IBM Consulting and watsonx was driven by IBM's strong track record in AI transformation, backed by successful past engagements with Riyadh Air that established trust and credibility. IBM's immersive engagement model played a key role in the expanded relationship. Hands-on AI workshops  showcased real-world benefits for guests and employees, and IBM offered AI technology and enterprise services into an integrated solution tailored to Riyadh Air's digital goals. Additionally, IBM Consulting Advantage allows Riyadh Air employees and IBM consultants to work side by side to deliver rapid innovation, scalable solutions, and accelerated value helping Riyadh Air shape next-generation travel experiences.

Riyadh Air's AI-driven strategy aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to serve 330 million passengers annually by 2030, positioning the Kingdom as a global aviation hub. By embedding AI across its ecosystem, Riyadh Air sets a new industry benchmark as a truly digital-native airline. This collaboration with IBM marks a transformative leap forward, enabling a comprehensive, intelligent, and highly personalized travel experience designed to anticipate and adapt to the evolving needs of travelers worldwide.

About Riyadh Air
Riyadh Air is a world-class airline owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Launched in March 2023, the airline will be a digitally-led, full service airline that adopts the best global sustainability and safety practices across its advanced fleet of aircraft. Riyadh Air will equip its aircrafts with the most advanced, state-of-the-art features with innovative, best-in-class cabin interiors and experiences, including next generation digital in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity solutions. Riyadh Air will connect guests to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030 through offering an exceptional guest experience with an authentic, warm Saudi hospitality at its heart. 

For more information please visit our website: www.riyadhair.com - and for any media inquiries please contact us at: media@riyadhair.com

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

IBM media contact:
Aymen Alfaraj
IBM Communciations
Aymen.Alfaraj@ibm.com 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Riyadh Air and IBM to build AI-driven enterprise, to elevate guest and employee experiences

Riyadh Air and IBM to build AI-driven enterprise, to elevate guest and employee experiences

The milestone marks a legacy of leadership in digital transformation and sustainability across Asia-Pacific

MANILA, Philippines and SINGAPORE, Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FUJIFILM Business Innovation, a leader in information workflows and digital transformation, is celebrating its 60^th anniversary in the Philippines and Singapore. Starting in 1965, the Philippines was the company's first overseas market, and soon after it established operations in Singapore. This year also marks the 30^th anniversary of FUJIFILM Business Innovation China, further underscoring the company's long and enduring operational history across the Asia Pacific region. These milestones reflect decades of innovation, sustainable business practices, and strong partnerships that continue to shape the region's digital transformation (DX) landscape.

Mr. Naoki Hama, President and CEO, Representative Director, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp., remarked: "We at FUJIFILM Business Innovation have been helping companies in Asia-Pacific strategically leverage information for over 60 years. While maintaining this focus, we are continuing to evolve the format, expanding beyond traditional printing into digital transformation, AI utilisation, and IT services. Our key hubs in the region have been vital for our digitalisation and sustainability initiatives. As we continue to evolve as a company, we look forward to creating further opportunities for the region's businesses to drive operational innovation through data utilization and reduce the environmental impact."

A regional strategy built on local strength

In Asia-Pacific, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up 98% of all businesses and employ over half of the workforce, creating significant potential for DX and AI to have an economic impact. Given the importance of software, FUJIFILM established a development centre in Vietnam in April 2025.

Across the region, the company relies on partnerships with businesses that are closely connected to local communities. To this end, the company is fostering collaborations with partners in other areas to continue strengthening its development efforts and regional ecosystem.

Mr. Masatsugu Naito, President of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia-Pacific, commented: "In spite of challenges for the printing sector, we see significant opportunities in digital transformation, AI, and integrated solutions, particularly in the dynamic, diverse Asia-Pacific region. Our relationships with deeply rooted local partners here have been key to our success thus far and will continue to be so in our growing focus on data and process automation."

The Philippines as a circular manufacturing hub

With its skilled workforce and manufacturing expertise, the Philippines has been a core part of FUJIFILM's global operations and commitment to sustainability. Over the decades, the company has built deep relationships with local customers, partners, and the government, creating a foundation for long-term growth and mutual success.

In July 2025, FUJIFILM Business Innovation announced the establishment of the Circular Manufacturing Centre (CMC), making FUJIFILM Optics Philippines Inc. (FOPH)  in to the company's Asia-Pacific hub for resource circulation. Once operations begin in 2026, this facility will handle remanufacturing processes for the company's multifunction devices (MFDs). Each machine is disassembled to the component level, cleaned and inspected thoroughly, and rebuilt while ensuring the same quality and reliability standards as newly built machines. The process achieves a reuse rate of 84% by weight, while the remaining 16% is recycled, resulting in a 99.5% resource recovery rate — one of the highest in the company's industry worldwide.

In addition to contributing to local economic growth and talent development, the CMC's capabilities in resource circulation are crucial for the company making progress on its Recycling Policy "Promoting Resource Circulation Toward Zero Waste," which was established in 1995.

Innovating to transform how enterprises handle data

As technology has evolved, the company has been particularly successful at harnessing comprehensive DX, AI, and IT solutions.

Mr. Hama continued: "FUJIFILM Business Innovation has consistently focused on helping companies handle data — but we have evolved in the ways we do so. We started as a document company focused on paper output. Then, demand for paper digitisation increased after the pandemic significantly changed work styles. Today, FUJIFILM Business Innovation is moving towards being a service and solutions company rather than just a multifunction printer manufacturer, but our focus on information handling has not changed."

One of its more recent solutions is the FUJIFILM IWpro, a cloud-based platform that centralises data across systems and enables secure, seamless collaboration among various stakeholders.

Integrating AI into solutions and operations

As part of its transformation strategy, FUJIFILM is integrating AI in three ways:

1. Using AI to learn from past sales cases and improve internal operational efficiency
2. Embedding AI technology within devices, such as eliminating time-consuming pre-printing adjustments for paper types and using predictive maintenance algorithms to replace components before they fail
3. Integrating AI into solutions and services, such as intelligent document processing of unstructured data, including paper documents to extract key information

This three-pronged strategy reflects the company's belief that AI should not replace human creativity but rather enhance decision-making and enable smarter, faster, and more sustainable business practices.

About FUJIFILM Business Innovation

FUJIFILM Business Innovation is a global leader committed to continuously delivering innovations to customers' businesses worldwide, for creating innovative and fulfilling workplaces by effectively adopting information and knowledge through digital transformation (DX). We have pioneered numerous technologies and accumulated expertise since our establishment in 1962, to build an environment that encourages the use of one's creativity to maximise organisational strengths. Our portfolio includes conducting R&D, manufacturing and sales of world-class workflow solutions, IT services, and printing equipment, such as digital multifunction printers (MFPs). We also offer business process outsourcing (BPO) services as well as marketing and implementation support of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

https://fujifilm.com/fbglobal 

The milestone marks a legacy of leadership in digital transformation and sustainability across Asia-Pacific

MANILA, Philippines and SINGAPORE, Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FUJIFILM Business Innovation, a leader in information workflows and digital transformation, is celebrating its 60^th anniversary in the Philippines and Singapore. Starting in 1965, the Philippines was the company's first overseas market, and soon after it established operations in Singapore. This year also marks the 30^th anniversary of FUJIFILM Business Innovation China, further underscoring the company's long and enduring operational history across the Asia Pacific region. These milestones reflect decades of innovation, sustainable business practices, and strong partnerships that continue to shape the region's digital transformation (DX) landscape.

Mr. Naoki Hama, President and CEO, Representative Director, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp., remarked: "We at FUJIFILM Business Innovation have been helping companies in Asia-Pacific strategically leverage information for over 60 years. While maintaining this focus, we are continuing to evolve the format, expanding beyond traditional printing into digital transformation, AI utilisation, and IT services. Our key hubs in the region have been vital for our digitalisation and sustainability initiatives. As we continue to evolve as a company, we look forward to creating further opportunities for the region's businesses to drive operational innovation through data utilization and reduce the environmental impact."

A regional strategy built on local strength

In Asia-Pacific, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up 98% of all businesses and employ over half of the workforce, creating significant potential for DX and AI to have an economic impact. Given the importance of software, FUJIFILM established a development centre in Vietnam in April 2025.

Across the region, the company relies on partnerships with businesses that are closely connected to local communities. To this end, the company is fostering collaborations with partners in other areas to continue strengthening its development efforts and regional ecosystem.

Mr. Masatsugu Naito, President of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia-Pacific, commented: "In spite of challenges for the printing sector, we see significant opportunities in digital transformation, AI, and integrated solutions, particularly in the dynamic, diverse Asia-Pacific region. Our relationships with deeply rooted local partners here have been key to our success thus far and will continue to be so in our growing focus on data and process automation."

The Philippines as a circular manufacturing hub

With its skilled workforce and manufacturing expertise, the Philippines has been a core part of FUJIFILM's global operations and commitment to sustainability. Over the decades, the company has built deep relationships with local customers, partners, and the government, creating a foundation for long-term growth and mutual success.

In July 2025, FUJIFILM Business Innovation announced the establishment of the Circular Manufacturing Centre (CMC), making FUJIFILM Optics Philippines Inc. (FOPH)  in to the company's Asia-Pacific hub for resource circulation. Once operations begin in 2026, this facility will handle remanufacturing processes for the company's multifunction devices (MFDs). Each machine is disassembled to the component level, cleaned and inspected thoroughly, and rebuilt while ensuring the same quality and reliability standards as newly built machines. The process achieves a reuse rate of 84% by weight, while the remaining 16% is recycled, resulting in a 99.5% resource recovery rate — one of the highest in the company's industry worldwide.

In addition to contributing to local economic growth and talent development, the CMC's capabilities in resource circulation are crucial for the company making progress on its Recycling Policy "Promoting Resource Circulation Toward Zero Waste," which was established in 1995.

Innovating to transform how enterprises handle data

As technology has evolved, the company has been particularly successful at harnessing comprehensive DX, AI, and IT solutions.

Mr. Hama continued: "FUJIFILM Business Innovation has consistently focused on helping companies handle data — but we have evolved in the ways we do so. We started as a document company focused on paper output. Then, demand for paper digitisation increased after the pandemic significantly changed work styles. Today, FUJIFILM Business Innovation is moving towards being a service and solutions company rather than just a multifunction printer manufacturer, but our focus on information handling has not changed."

One of its more recent solutions is the FUJIFILM IWpro, a cloud-based platform that centralises data across systems and enables secure, seamless collaboration among various stakeholders.

Integrating AI into solutions and operations

As part of its transformation strategy, FUJIFILM is integrating AI in three ways:

This three-pronged strategy reflects the company's belief that AI should not replace human creativity but rather enhance decision-making and enable smarter, faster, and more sustainable business practices.

About FUJIFILM Business Innovation

FUJIFILM Business Innovation is a global leader committed to continuously delivering innovations to customers' businesses worldwide, for creating innovative and fulfilling workplaces by effectively adopting information and knowledge through digital transformation (DX). We have pioneered numerous technologies and accumulated expertise since our establishment in 1962, to build an environment that encourages the use of one's creativity to maximise organisational strengths. Our portfolio includes conducting R&D, manufacturing and sales of world-class workflow solutions, IT services, and printing equipment, such as digital multifunction printers (MFPs). We also offer business process outsourcing (BPO) services as well as marketing and implementation support of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

https://fujifilm.com/fbglobal 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Celebrates 60 Years in the Philippines and Singapore; Marks 30th Anniversary in Chinese Mainland