Riyadh Air plans order for 30 additional Boeing 787s

Riyadh Air plans an order for 25 to 30 additional Boeing 787s.
The aircraft support long-haul network expansion.
The Saudi carrier builds its widebody fleet.
The order adds to previous Boeing 787 commitments.
Riyadh Air targets global route development.

Riyadh Air is considering a plan to convert its existing options into a firm order for 25 to 30 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The Saudi Arabian start-up airline, which is backed by the nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), is in ongoing discussions with Boeing to finalize the deal. Industry sources suggest a formal announcement could be made during the Farnborough International Airshow.

The transaction involves converting a significant majority of the carrier’s 33 remaining purchase options from its original 2023 agreement into confirmed firm orders In 2023, Riyadh Air placed an initial order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which was split between 39 firm orders and 33 options.

Exercising these 25 to 30 options would elevate the airline’s total definitive Dreamliner fleet to between 64 and 69 aircraft. Alongside the Boeing negotiations, Riyadh Air is also exploring the conversion of some of its 25 purchase options for the Airbus A350-1000 into firm orders to further scale its long-haul networks. [1, 2]

Riyadh Air officially launched its first commercial revenue flights using its initial deliveries of custom-built Boeing 787-9s configured with 290 seats across three classes. The carrier’s initial route network connects Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport to premium international hubs like London Heathrow and Dubai, alongside a high-density domestic trunk route to Jeddah.

The aggressive timeline for converting these widebody options is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 framework. Backed by heavy state investments into aviation infrastructure—including the massive King Salman International Airport development—Riyadh Air aims to aggressively scale its operations to serve more than 100 global destinations by 2030.