Últimas Noticias de Aviación Comercial

Farnborough Airshow: Riyadh Air Exercises Options for 28 More Boeing 787s and Six Airbus A350-1000s

Dergam Mousa

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s new national flag carrier, Riyadh Air, has exercised strategic purchase options with Boeing and Airbus to add more aircraft and bolster its ultra-long-haul capacity, accelerating the goals of the national Vision 2030 plan.

The airline announced an agreement to exercise purchase options for 28 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliner family aircraft on the sidelines of the prestigious 2026 Farnborough International Airshow.

The deal includes converting 20 aircraft to the higher-capacity variant, the Boeing 787-10, alongside a previously unidentified order for 11 widebody jets. Once the remaining 17 aircraft in the package are finalized, Riyadh Air’s total firm order for Dreamliners will reach 67 units.

“The commitment to secure an additional 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and introduce the 787-10 marks another significant milestone in Riyadh Air’s journey toward serving over 100 international destinations by 2030—a core pillar of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions. The addition of the 787-10 strengthens our ability to meet growing passenger and cargo demand while providing the necessary operational flexibility.”
— Tony Douglas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Riyadh Air

Ultra-Long-Haul Reinforcement with the Airbus A350-1000

Riyadh Air also confirmed it has exercised purchase rights to acquire six additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. This milestone brings the total confirmed order for the flagship widebody jet to 31 units, primarily destined to boost its intercontinental, ultra-long-haul route network.

The carrier’s overall order backlog with European manufacturer Airbus now stands at 91 firm aircraft—including 60 narrowbody Airbus A321-family units—while retaining 19 additional purchase rights for the A350 family, ensuring significant operational flexibility moving forward.

→ Riyadh Air Launches Direct Flights to Madrid and Signs Strategic Alliance MoU with Air Europa

“Following the landmark launch of our first commercial flights last month, confirming these purchase rights for six additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft is a strong statement of our growth trajectory and long-term ambition. With no legacy systems holding us back, we are building an airline of the future from the ground up. The A350-1000 will allow us to showcase authentic Saudi hospitality, Hafawa, on a global scale.”
— Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Riyadh Air

Operational Deployment and Network Expansion

This announcement comes at a historic inflection point for the startup carrier, following its inaugural commercial flight connecting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to London Heathrow Airport on June 10, 2026.

Riyadh Air currently operates scheduled services to six key international destinations:

Additionally, the airline has officially opened ticket sales to add six new cities to its global network from its main hub in Riyadh: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Islamabad (Pakistan), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Lahore (Pakistan), Manchester (United Kingdom), and Mumbai (India).

Saudi Vision 2030 Project

Wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF)—Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund—the airline serves as a central catalyst within the country’s economic diversification plan, known as Saudi Vision 2030. The strategic roadmap aims to connect Riyadh, a G20 capital, to more than 100 international destinations across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, and the Americas by 2030.

Riyadh Air’s global expansion is projected to generate over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute more than $20 billion (SAR 75 billion) to the nation’s non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

With a state-of-the-art fleet backed by mega-orders with both Boeing and Airbus, Riyadh Air is establishing a dual-fleet operational architecture that enables it to maximize efficiency across regional, long-haul, and ultra-long-haul routes.

Exit mobile version