Riyadh Air Looks Long Term With Widebody Expansion Plan

FARNBOROUGH—Riyadh Air has firmed an order for six additional Airbus A350-1000s and committed to exercise options for 28 Boeing 787s, with CEO Tony Douglas saying the deals reflected the startup’s focus on the “long game” as it builds toward serving more than 100 international destinations by 2030.

The agreements, announced on the opening day of the Farnborough Airshow, will also see Riyadh Air introduce the larger 787-10 to its fleet. Of the 28 Boeing options being exercised, 20 are being converted to the variant.

The options formed part of Riyadh Air’s original 2023 agreement for 39 firm 787-9s and options for 33 additional aircraft. Eleven of the latest 28 aircraft have already been recorded in Boeing’s orderbook under an unidentified customer, while the remaining 17 have yet to be finalized. Once that process is complete, Riyadh Air’s firm 787 order will rise to 67 aircraft, comprising 47 787-9s and 20 787-10s.

Separately, the carrier’s agreement for six additional A350-1000s increases its firm commitment for the type from 25 to 31 aircraft. The order forms part of Riyadh Air’s 2025 commitment for up to 50 A350-1000s.

Speaking during an airline leadership panel at Farnborough, Douglas said Riyadh Air was making the commitments based on its long-term growth strategy rather than near-term market conditions.

“We converted 28 options with Boeing for the 787, of which 20 will be 787-10s, and added another six A350-1000s,” Douglas said. “We’re doing that not because we’re looking at what is right in front of us tomorrow, next week or next month. We’re doing it for the big game.”

The 787-10 will give Riyadh Air about 50 more seats than its 787-9s, allowing the airline to add capacity on higher-demand routes.

Riyadh Air has received six 787-9s and currently serves six cities. Douglas said the airline took delivery of all six aircraft within a 30-day period after certification of its customized lead aircraft was completed in early June. Two more aircraft are expected to arrive over the following weeks.

The concentrated delivery schedule followed delays that forced Riyadh Air to postpone the full launch of commercial operations. The carrier had planned to begin flying in October 2025 but initially operated its Riyadh-London Heathrow route using a leased aircraft under what it called its “pathway to perfect,” with ticket sales initially restricted to staff, their families, and other stakeholders.

“The minute the first [787] was certified, we took two on the first day and the third two days later,” Douglas said.

Douglas explained delivery certainty remains particularly important for a startup that does not have an established network or a pool of existing leased aircraft that can be extended when new deliveries are late.

“As a startup, we don’t have the ability to adjust the network when Boeing or Airbus says an aircraft is running late, because we didn’t have a network,” he said. “Certainty, first and foremost, is the most important aspect for us.”

Alongside the widebodies, Riyadh Air plans to use Airbus A321LRs to act as a network-development aircraft, enabling it to open thinner routes—particularly to secondary cities—and build demand before potentially upgauging them.

“The A321LR will be the classic network builder,” Douglas said. “We’ll use that aircraft from Riyadh to secondary cities in Europe, and once we’ve developed the load, we’ll switch the route over to the 787.”

Riyadh Air intends to expand from six destinations to 22 by March 2027. Douglas said its strategy focused on organic growth, with a five-year ambition to connect Riyadh to 100 international cities.

The airline has also recently secured regulatory approvals for further expansion. China’s Civil Aviation Administration authorized 3X-weekly Riyadh-Beijing flights and 4X-weekly Riyadh-Shanghai services, although launch dates have not been announced. Riyadh Air has also received US Transportation Department approval to begin US operations.