New Delhi | Riyadh Air, which plans to commence operations this year, will explore partnerships with Air India and IndiGo to tap the potential of the Indian market, a top executive said on Wednesday.

The Saudi Arabian airline has ambitious expansion plans and will have wide-body B787-9 Dreamliners and narrow-body A321 neos in its fleet. It will also have extra wide-body B777Xs or A350-1000s.

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said Indian subcontinent is "super important" and will explore possible partnership with Air India and IndiGo.

Around 1.5 million tourists from India visited Saudi Arabia last year and the numbers are growing.

India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets.

According to Douglas, the airline will start operations later this year.

He also said the airline is in active campaign with Boeing and Airbus for extra wide-body planes, referring to B777Xs and A350-1000s, respectively.

Initially, the airline will have a fleet of 60 narrow-body A321 neos and 72 wide-body B787-9 Dreamliners.

The carrier aims to connect Saudi Arabia to over 100 destinations globally by 2030, as per its website