Riyadh Air Expands Boeing 787 Order with 28 Additional Dreamliners

Riyadh Air has committed to purchase 28 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners, exercising options from its 2023 order and introducing the larger 787-10 variant into its future fleet.

The agreement includes the conversion of 20 previously optioned aircraft to the higher-capacity 787-10 and incorporates a previously undisclosed purchase of 11 Dreamliners. Once the remaining 17 aircraft are finalized, Riyadh Air’s firm order book will increase to 67 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The Saudi carrier has already taken delivery of six Boeing 787-9 aircraft and currently serves six destinations following the launch of commercial operations. The expanded order supports Riyadh Air’s strategy to operate to more than 100 international destinations by 2030 as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative.

The addition of the 787-10 will provide increased passenger and cargo capacity while maintaining fleet commonality with the airline’s existing 787-9 fleet, allowing shared pilot training, maintenance procedures and flight deck systems to improve operational efficiency. As the largest member of the Dreamliner family, the 787-10 offers approximately 50 more seats than the 787-9 while reducing fuel consumption and emissions by 25% compared with the aircraft it replaces.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Riyadh Air expects its growing fleet to support the Kingdom’s economic diversification strategy, with plans to contribute more than US$20 billion to non-oil GDP and help create over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030.