
Even before the start-up carrier Riyadh Air operates its first commercial flight, the airline is said to be in the market for 50 more widebody jets, with the Saudi-based carrier said to be courting both Boeing and rival European manufacturer Airbus, according to sources who claim to be familiar with the matter.
Initially expected to launch in early 2025 but now delayed until later this year, Riyadh Air already has a confirmed order for 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with options for 33 more, and an agreement to purchase 60 Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft.
Now, the airline is pitting the Airbus A350-1000 against Boeing’s rival but much-delayed 777X next-generation airliner against one another. Riyadh Air confirms it has put out a ‘request for product’ for additional widebody jets without going into any further detail.
Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Riyadh Air’s pockets are deep, and the airline will be looking at which aircraft manufacturer can offer the fastest delivery slots to help the ambitious carrier make a mark on the global aviation scene.
Unfortunately, Riyadh Air’s ‘money is no object’ approach to launching an airline has not saved it from Boeing’s ongoing delivery woes.
Initially announced in early 2023, the airline wanted to get up and running by the first quarter of 2025. Riyadh Air is, however, yet to take delivery of any of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners it has ordered, and the first airframe isn’t now expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia until July at the earliest.
The Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 777X are much larger than the Dreamliner, although how Riyadh Air plans to kit out its jets is yet to be revealed. The 777X is already years behind schedule, and the first delivery to Lufthansa isn’t expected until 2026.
With plans to serve 100 destinations within only a few years, Riyadh Air plans to put Saudi Arabia on the map, not by competing with regional behemoths like Emirates or Qatar Airways but by driving point-to-point traffic to the Kingdom.
Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since... most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.