Visiting the Riyadh Aviation Museum
On the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum, that took place in Riyadh last May, I managed to squeeze some time to visit the Saudi Aviation Museum, or Saqer-Aljazirah Aviation Museum as it is officially known. Here is what I found.
Saqer-Aljazirah Aviation Museum
Eastern Ring Rd, King Abdullah, Riyadh
For opening times, better check in advance because it usually opens only part of the day and not every day of the week is the same.
The museum is located next to an air base on the Eastern side of Riyadh and, as far as I am aware of, there are no public transport links, so better get an Uber to get there.
AND, very important, make sure you have some way to get back to the city center after your visit, because there is no public wifi onsite and the closest shops and cafés are across a 8-lane motorway or through a bridge with no pedestrian passes and which I do not recommend crossing on foot!
I went there in the afternoon (on some days it only opens after 16.00) and was surprised that there were very few people around. In fact, the Uber driver took me to a lateral entrance, where the door was open and there was some sort of checkpoint but no one there. I think the main entrance is by the Lockheed Tristar (soon more about this aircraft) but you still would need to walk about 100m to the main building where ticket sales are located.
While the collection didn’t disappoint, be warned that the facilities are pretty basic.
At the time of my visit there were no catering facilities open (there what looked like a restaurant but it was closed), no public wifi and they don’t take credit cards of any type, only cash.
As mentioned earlier, make sure you bring everything you need with you, including a good roaming plan on your phone to be able to order an Uber back (and also make sure you provide accurate directions to the driver, because there is a roadblock at the main entrance and depending on the coordinates you provided to the driver, they may cancel when seeing they can not get up to the pick up point! and since this is not the center of the city, service can be patchy, expect waits of 10-20min minimum for an Uber to arrive!)
I must say the staff at the reception were incredibly welcoming and helpful, not only did they offer me coffee and tea during my wait, but they even helped me connect to the internet through their own personal hotspots while I was trying to sort out my ride back into town. But better sort this out beforehand!
Now the museum….I must say the Saqer-Aljazirah Aviation Museum has a rather interesting collection that will not disappoint hardcore aviation enthusiasts!
The exhibits are mostly devoted to military aircraft. I think they have almost every aircraft type ever flown by the Saudi Air Force (except for the more recent Eurofighter Typhoon), from the very early WW1-vintage aircraft all the way to the F-15.
The collection is, in fact, divided in two parts: the indoor exhibit and the outdoors static display.
The building housing the collection is not very large and structured around a central round hall, but it is densely packed with aircraft and displays explaining the evolution of aviation, and very particularly the Saudi Air Force, over the years.
Some of the older aircraft are indoors, such as classics like the American-made F-86 Sabre and the British-built English Electric Lightning fighters. As well as some examples of the very first aircraft that flew in Saudi Arabia and a C-47 that was gifted by Roosevelt at the time of WW2.
The outside display is structured all along a sort of courtyard located right in front of the museum, a bit like you would find in an air show. Here you will find some really iconic aircraft: a C-130 Hercules, a F-15, a Panavia Tornado and Sea King helicopters, among others.
On the commercial aviation front the display is more limited but there are a couple fo remarkable aircraft, the first and perhaps most interesting because of its rarity nowadays is the ex-Saudia Lockheed L-1011 Tristar (HZ-AHP), which is located next to the main entrance separate from all the other aircraft.
There is also a Boeing 707, in Saudia livery, but which apparently was operated for official uses. There was a staircase next to it, but at the time I visited it was not possible to climb onto it.
As you can see, this former Saudia L-1011 Tristar is no stranger to the Kingdom’s latest drive to raise its profile in the global commercial aviation industry. The development of the air travel sector and the growth of the tourism industry feature prominently in the Vision 2030 initiative in which Saudi Arabia is currently investing.
So, in short, and despite the logistical difficulties, a very interesting museum that will certainly appeal to aviation enthusiasts. If you are interested in aviation and find yourself with 2-3h of free time in Riyadh, I would certainly recommend visiting it!