The upstart Saudi Arabian airline Riyadh Air isn’t letting geopolitical uncertainty and rising tensions in the Middle East slow down its ambitious growth strategy, with the carrier using the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow to announce it was firming up orders for more widebody planes with Airbus and Boeing.
Monday’s announcement wasn’t a completely new order but rather about exercising options that had been placed during earlier orders.
- In March 2023, Riyadh Air ordered up to 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, but only 39 of these formed part of a firm order, with options for 33 more.
- In June 2025, Riyadh Air then ordered up to 50 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, but only 25 of these formed part of a firm order, with options for 25 more.
Riyadh Air is now exercising these options, placing a firm order for eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, and converting 20 options to the stretched Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner as a firm order.
The airline is also exercising its options with Airbus to place a firm order for an additional six A350-1000s.
That means, even after these orders have been placed, Riyadh Air still has options for five more Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 19 Airbus A350-1000s.
Riyadh Air has so far taken delivery of six brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, allowing the airline to launch commercial service last month. The first commercial flight operated between Riyadh and London Heathrow, but within a matter of weeks, the airline has already added services to Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Malaga, and Madrid.
Within the next four years, Riyadh Air wants to expand to 100 global destinations. Ticket sales are already open for flights between Riyadh and Dhaka, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Manchester, and Mumbai.
While much of Riyadh Air’s focus has been on building its long-haul capability, the airline will eventually take delivery of narrowbody aircraft to serve regional routes. After pitting Airbus and Boeing against one another, Riyadh Air ended up ordering 60 Airbus A321neo planes in October 2024.
Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air certainly isn’t short of cash, although Monday’s order is yet another gamble for the airline, not only because of ongoing tensions in the Middle East, but also whether the Kingdom’s strategy to turn into a major tourism hub by 2023 pays off.
After all, some of Saudi Arabia’s so-called gigaprojects, like the fully contained city known as The Line, have had to be dramatically scaled back or completely put on ice due to funding constraints. And while work continues on luxury resorts, it remains to be seen whether they will provide a big enough pull.
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