Riyadh Air didn’t just launch an airline — it stood up a digital-native enterprise from scratch, building its technology platform and operating model simultaneously and without the drag of legacy systems. Executing that vision demanded a single, accountable partner capable of orchestrating architecture, vendor coordination, and program delivery across an unusually complex, multi-partner environment.
IBM Consulting was engaged at Riyadh Air’s inception, before the airline even had a full internal technology team. IBM helped define the technology strategy, structured vendor selection across hundreds of required capabilities, and served as Master Systems Integrator (MSI) — holding the line on architectural decisions even when schedule and cost pressures pushed for compromise.
In our latest case study, Building a Digital-Native Airline: How IBM Powered Riyadh Air’s Launch, completed in partnership with IBM, Futurum Research examines how orchestration and integration discipline helped a pre-revenue airline achieve a level of execution sophistication that typically takes established carriers years to develop.
In this case study, you will learn:
- How Riyadh Air built a cloud-based, modular architecture from a single target design — with no shortcuts
- Why Riyadh Air chose one Master Systems Integrator to own accountability across 60+ partners and 1,800+ system integrations
- How IBM Consulting’s orchestration accelerated time-to-market, customer-facing capability deployment, and multi-channel marketing execution
- What early economic value indicators — from page visits to campaign execution speed — reveal about Riyadh Air’s digital-native operating model
If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of Building a digital-native airline: How IBM powered Riyadh Air’s launch today.
Author Information
Don is the Research Director of the Business Economic Value service at The Futurum Group. He guides end-to-end engagements, from designing financial models and conducting research to delivering client-ready BEV deliverables.
Before joining Futurum, Don held senior leadership roles at HFS Research and IDC, where he built and scaled consulting programs, led TEV engagements, and provided strategic advisory council to Fortune 500 clients. With over twenty-five years of experience in consulting, market research, and business impact analysis, he has helped organizations address complex business challenges by translating data-driven insights into actionable strategies.
Don holds an MBA specializing in Market Research and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Boston University.
