Riyadh Air orders 34 widebodies as Farnborough opens

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air placed orders for 34 widebody aircraft on Monday as the Farnborough International Airshow opened in Hampshire, England, deepening the young airline's commitments with both Boeing ↗ 1.60% and Airbus just weeks after launching commercial service.

The deals, among the first major announcements of the five-day trade show, underscore the ambitions of a carrier created only three years ago to serve as a pillar of Saudi Arabia's broader economic transformation.

Boeing Dreamliners and a New Variant

Riyadh Air exercised options for 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners from a 2023 agreement that originally covered 39 firm aircraft and 33 options. Twenty of the newly ordered jets will be the larger 787-10 variant, which will join the 787-9s already in the airline's fleet. Boeing disclosed that 11 of the 28 aircraft had already been purchased but not previously identified publicly; once the remaining 17 options become firm orders, Riyadh Air's total Dreamliner backlog will reach 67 aircraft.airdatanews+2

Separately, the airline firmed up six additional Airbus A350-1000s, bringing its confirmed order for the type to 31. The purchase converts part of the rights Riyadh Air secured at the 2025 Paris Air Show, where it signed an agreement covering up to 50 A350-1000s with 25 firm orders and purchase rights for 25 more.live.euronext+3

A Fast-Growing Fleet

The combined transactions give Riyadh Air firm orders for 98 widebody aircraft between the 787 and A350-1000, one of the largest order books among recently launched carriers. The airline has taken delivery of six 787-9s and currently serves six destinations after beginning commercial flights in June, when its first factory-fresh Dreamliner touched down at London Heathrow.aerospaceglobalnews+1

Riyadh Air plans to serve 22 cities by March 2027 and eventually grow its network to more than 100 destinations by 2030. Owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the airline is one of the kingdom's flagship aviation projects as it seeks to increase international air traffic and tourism under its Vision 2030 economic diversification program.airdatanews+1

Farnborough's Busy First Day

The Riyadh Air announcement was one of several widebody deals on Farnborough's opening day. Philippine Airlines committed to up to 20 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, while lessor SMBC Aviation Capital placed what was described as a record order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies. Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ↘ 3.61% reported ahead of the show that the current list of potential deals could generate commitments for more than 200 aircraft over the week. The show runs through Friday.farnboroughairshow+3