Riyadh Air lands in Madrid, Ades expands Nigeria footprint

Riyadh Air is expanding its Spanish network: Saudi’s new national carrier launched its first flights to Madrid on Friday, just three days after inaugurating seasonal flights to Malaga, it said in a press release. Flight RX0531 — operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner — landed at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport on Friday morning, becoming the first scheduled nonstop service between Riyadh and the Spanish capital.

ALSO- Riyadh Air signed an MoU with Air Europa to explore a broader commercial partnership linking both airlines’ networks through Madrid. The agreement, subject to regulatory approvals, covers codesharing, loyalty program integration, cargo cooperation, and digital initiatives, giving passengers easier access to destinations across Spain, southern Europe, and Latin America.

REMEMBER- Riyadh Air plans to add one Boeing 787-9 monthly and launch two new destinations every two months, aiming for 100 cities by 2030.

Ades expands Nigeria footprint

Ades secured a SAR 375.3 mn contract for the Shelf Drilling Odyssey jackup rig from Nigeria’s Seplat Energy, according to a disclosure (pdf). The two-year contract includes two one-year extension options, with operations expected to begin in 1Q 2027.

REMEMBER- The company is expanding its presence in Nigeria after landing a SAR 180.7 mn, one-year contract from Belbop Nigeria for its Main Pass IV standard jack-up rig in May. It previously partnered with Seplat Energy to provide offshore drilling services in Nigeria under a SAR 347.6 mn contract in the same month, following a separate agreement that took place in April to deploy rigs for West African Exploration Company.

Think closes MENA’s largest AI-infrastructure pre-seed

Riyadh-based AI infrastructure startup Think raised over USD 8 mn in a pre-seeding round co-led by Raed Ventures and Wa’ed Ventures, with participation from Dhahran Techno Valley’s venture capital arm and strategic angels, according to a press release. The funding will be used to scale the firm’s manufacturing and product development, starting domestically and stretching across the GCC and key international markets over the next 18 months.

Think? Founded in 2025 by Ahmed Al Sharif and Ammar Enaya, the company builds integrated AI infrastructure that aims to maximize GPU utilization, cut token costs, and simplify enterprise AI deployment.