Riyadh Air moved fast—really fast. The Saudi carrier locked in six more Airbus A350-1000 jets and converted 28 Boeing 787 options during the Farnborough International Airshow on July 20, 2026. It was the first big order of the show, landing before most manufacturers had even set up their stands.
The moves tell you everything about how aggressively Riyadh Air is building its fleet. The airline only started scheduled service six weeks earlier, on June 10, with a Riyadh-London Heathrow route. Yet despite being barely three years old, it’s already assembled one of the world’s most modern long-haul operations.
A350 Commitment Deepens to 31 Aircraft
The firm A350-1000 order climbs to 31 aircraft—up from 25. These six jets represent the airline’s first major option exercise from its original 50-aircraft deal signed at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. That agreement split 25 firm orders and 25 optional. Riyadh Air still holds 19 unexercised A350-1000 options sitting on the table.
Every plane will run Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines. With range exceeding 9,700 nautical miles, the A350-1000 will handle the airline’s heaviest-demand intercontinental routes while the 787 family carries most of the long-haul load.
“The firm-up of these additional aircraft reflects Riyadh Air’s continued confidence in its growth trajectory and in the future of Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector,” the airline said in a statement. “Increasing our A350-1000 commitment to 31 aircraft strengthens the foundation of our future network and supports our ambition to serve more than 100 global destinations by 2030.”
Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of Commercial Aircraft, saw the order as proof the airline believes in the A350-1000’s “exceptional efficiency, range and passenger appeal.” Riyadh Air will be the first A350-1000 operator in Saudi Arabia.
Boeing 787 Options Exercised—With an Upmarket Twist
The 28 exercised 787 options come with a wrinkle. Of that total, Riyadh Air plans to convert 20 from the mid-sized 787-9 to the stretched 787-10 variant. The announcements also revealed 11 previously undisclosed 787 purchases—bringing the firm 787 order to 67 units once all aircraft finalize.
The 787-10 packs roughly 50 additional seats versus the 787-9. It also delivers about 25 percent lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions compared with older widebodies, a major advantage on dense, established routes. The catch: range. The -10 can’t fly as far as the -9, which positions it for high-demand regional and intercontinental pairs instead of frontier routes.
The addition of the 787-10 strengthens the airline’s ability to accommodate growing passenger and cargo demand while providing the operational flexibility required to support ambitious network plans. Shared flight-deck systems, maintenance procedures, and pilot training across both variants kept the widebody fleet within Boeing’s family rather than splitting into different aircraft types.
Unprecedented Delivery Pace Sets Stage for Capacity Test
Six 787-9 aircraft arrived in just 30 days in early June 2026—an unprecedented pace for a startup and matched only by a handful of carriers in history. The surge broke through months of delays tied to supply chain problems and cabin certification issues, especially around business-class suites with closing doors.
By late July, Riyadh Air had taken delivery of six 787-9s and had opened ticket sales to 12 destinations including Dhaka, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Manchester, and Mumbai. The airline aims for 22 destinations by March 2027.
With no legacy fleet to absorb the capacity flood, the airline faces a singular test. It must fill roughly a year’s worth of seats simultaneously, turning a supply problem into a real demand and load-factor challenge.
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