Riyadh Air (RX) is studying an order for between 25 and 30 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners, according to industry sources cited by Reuters on July 13, 2026. The Saudi startup carrier, which is owned by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is weighing the deal as it expands beyond its small launch fleet toward a planned network of more than 100 destinations by 2030.
An announcement could come as early as the Farnborough International Airshow, which opens July 20, 2026, though sources cautioned that discussions were continuing and that no final decision had been made. Riyadh Air and Boeing both declined to comment on the report.
Deal Would Convert Options from Riyadh Air’s 2023 Order into Firm Aircraft
The potential order would not be an entirely new purchase. Riyadh Air agreed in 2023 to buy up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, split between 39 firm orders and options for a further 33 aircraft.
Exercising 25 to 30 of those options would lift the airline’s firm Dreamliner commitment to between 64 and 69 aircraft, while leaving as few as three or as many as eight options unconverted. Boeing’s 787 programme remains in active production at the manufacturer’s North Charleston facility, delivering roughly eight aircraft a month as of 2025.
Airline Is Also Weighing Additional Airbus Widebody Commitments
Reuters reported that Riyadh Air is separately considering converting some of its Airbus purchase rights into firm orders, though no specific figure was disclosed in that report. Bloomberg later reported the airline was in talks with Airbus over roughly six additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, on top of the 25 firm A350-1000s it agreed to buy at the 2025 Paris Air Show, a deal that included options for 25 more.
Riyadh Air’s order book already spans three aircraft families. The airline holds firm commitments for 60 Airbus A321neo-family jets ordered in 2024, and its planned fleet, including options, totals as many as 182 aircraft across the Boeing 787-9, Airbus A350-1000, and Airbus A321neo types.
Riyadh Air’s Rapid Build-Out from a Seven-Aircraft Fleet
Riyadh Air launched commercial service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on October 26, 2025, becoming the operational start of Saudi Arabia’s second flag carrier alongside Saudia. The airline’s first two custom-built Boeing 787-9s, registered HZ-RXAA and HZ-RXAB, arrived at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh in early June 2026, marking what the carrier called the true beginning of its owned widebody operation.
Riyadh Air launched domestic service on June 14, 2026, with its first scheduled flight to Jeddah. As of July 2026, the airline operates seven Boeing 787-9s, each seating around 290 passengers across a four-cabin layout that includes Business Elite, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.
Chief Executive Tony Douglas said deliveries would grow the fleet to eight aircraft by the end of July 2026 and allow the airline to serve 22 destinations by March 2027. The 787-9’s cabin configuration notably omits a traditional first-class product in favour of the expanded Business Elite section.
Riyadh Air’s network strategy departs from the hub-and-spoke model used by Dubai and Doha’s major connecting carriers. The airline has said it intends to build its route map around point-to-point traffic destined directly for Saudi Arabia, aligning capacity with the kingdom’s target of welcoming 150 million annual visitors rather than competing for low-yield transit passengers. Early destinations already sold include London, Cairo, Jeddah, and Mumbai, with further route announcements expected as new aircraft enter service.
Riyadh Air’s aircraft can be configured for the following cabin sections:
- Business Elite, replacing the traditional first-class cabin
- Business Class, with lie-flat seating
- Premium Economy
- Economy
Comparing Riyadh Air’s Farnborough Talks with Etihad’s Own Boeing 787 Plans
Riyadh Air is not the only Gulf carrier expected to bring a Boeing 787 order to Farnborough this year. Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based flag carrier, is reportedly in advanced talks with Boeing over 10 additional Dreamliners, with an announcement also possible at the same show.
The two deals differ in scale and purpose. Etihad’s reported order would add to an already-mature fleet of 47 Dreamliners as part of its “Journey 2030” plan to expand past 160 aircraft, while Riyadh Air’s conversion would build out a fleet that only received its first owned 787 in June 2026. Industry analysts note that roughly 14 percent of Boeing’s total commercial order backlog is now linked to Middle Eastern customers, concentrated among Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Saudia, and Riyadh Air.
Riyadh Air also faces competition closer to home. Saudia, the kingdom’s original flag carrier, operates 21 Dreamliners split between the 787-9 and 787-10, and is according to Aviation Outlook, in talks for a further order of up to 150 aircraft across Boeing and Airbus types. Both carriers are racing to expand widebody capacity as Saudi Arabia targets 330 million annual passengers and 150 million visitors by 2030 under its Vision 2030 programme.
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What Comes Next for Riyadh Air’s Fleet Plans
Riyadh Air’s next confirmation point is the Farnborough Airshow itself, running July 20 to 24, 2026, where industry sources expect the bulk of the Boeing conversion to be finalised. Whether the Airbus A350-1000 discussions reach a parallel announcement at the same event remains less certain, given Bloomberg’s reporting described those talks as still being negotiated.
A larger Dreamliner fleet would directly support the airline’s stated goal of reaching 22 destinations by March 2027, since the 787-9 is expected to form the backbone of Riyadh Air’s long-haul network ahead of the larger A350-1000 entering service. For Boeing, converting the bulk of Riyadh Air’s outstanding options would mark one of the larger single-customer commitments announced at this year’s show, reinforcing the Gulf’s growing weight in the manufacturer’s order book.