Ambitious airline startup Riyadh Air is expected to launch operations in late 2025, using Boeing 787-9s (the airline has up to 72 of these on order). The airline has revealed details like its aircraft livery, brand sonic, and employee uniforms, but hasn’t revealed the details of its aircraft interiors… until now!
Riyadh Air has just pulled back the curtains on the interiors of its 787s. The cabins are mighty stylish — I wouldn’t say there’s anything revolutionary about them, but they’re about as good as you could expect on this kind of a jet, with great tech.
In this post:
Riyadh Air Boeing 787 cabin interiors revealed
We now know exactly what to expect onboard Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, as all of these aircraft are expected to have the same configuration. Riyadh Air’s 787s will have a total of 290 seats, broken down as follows:
- Four premium business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 24 standard business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 39 premium economy seats, in a 2-3-2 configuration
- 223 economy seats, in a 3-3-3 configuration
Before we talk about the details of each cabin, let me mention that Riyadh Air intends to offer free Wi-Fi across cabins to members of its loyalty program, thanks to its Viasat partnership. When combined with the carrier’s 4K OLED screens across cabins, plus bluetooth audio, guests should have no issues staying entertained.
Riyadh Air has labeled itself as the “no legacy” carrier, and “the world’s first digital native airline.” Riyadh Air describes the design philosophy of the jet as blending intelligent design, ergonomic comfort, and thoughtful details. The goal is for carefully selected materials, curated lighting, and a cohesive color palette, to come together to create a cabin that feels inviting and luxurious.
In premium cabins, you’ll find mocha gold and veined stone accents to offer a subtle, elegant contrast to purple textures. The cabin’s palette includes dark indigo, mocha, iridescent tones, skyline blue, sunset peach, and lavender, “seamlessly weaving the identity of the city of Riyadh into a modern expression of luxury felt throughout every cabin.”
Here’s how Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas describes the new cabins:
“Riyadh Air has always promised to deliver a world- class experience for our guests and the unveiling of our cabin interiors make this ambition a reality. The design, layout, and features of our new cabins are carefully crafted to ensure flights are as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. From the ergonomic and luxurious fabrics in the seats to the high-end technology used in the entertainment systems, every facet of the cabins has been chosen to deliver relaxing luxury.”
Let’s take a closer look at each of the cabins…
Riyadh Air Business Elite on 787
While Riyadh Air won’t have a first class product on its 787s, the airline will have a “business class plus” product in the first row of the jet, which is an increasingly common trend we’re seeing from airlines.
This product will be branded as “Business Elite” (shoutout to old school Delta!). This will consist of four seats, in a single row, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Riyadh Air has chosen the Safran Unity Elite seat, with each seat having 45″ of pitch, 22.5″ of width, a 32″ 4K OLED screen, one AC power outlet, one USB-C outlet, and two USB-C outlets.
The suites will feature walls and sliding privacy doors that are 52″ high, and when reclined, the bed length will be 78″. The two center suites in Business Elite can even be turned into a double bed.
The airline promotes how the 32″ monitors at these seats are the largest that you’ll find on any airline in business class. In terms of tech, all business class seats will also have integrated headrest speakers, so that you can watch entertainment without using headphones, by having the audio play in your headrest (like you’ll find on Japan Airlines’ A350s).
Riyadh Air intends to sell Business Elite as a separate product from business class, and will offer an improved soft product, including better catering. However, exact details remain to be seen.
Riyadh Air business class on 787
Riyadh Air’s standard business class will consist of 24 seats, spread across six rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Riyadh Air has chosen the Safran Unity platform, with each seat having 45″ of pitch, 22.5″ of width, a 22″ 4K OLED screen, one AC power outlet, one USB-C outlet, and two USB-C outlets.
The suites will feature walls and sliding privacy doors that are 52″ high, and when reclined, the bed length will be 78″. There will be adjustable privacy dividers between the center seats.
Riyadh Air premium economy on 787
Riyadh Air’s premium economy will consist of 39 seats, spread across six rows, in a 2-3-2 configuration. Riyadh Air has chosen the Recaro PL3530 platform, with each seat having 38″ of pitch, 19.2″ of width, a 15.6″ 4K OLED screen, and four USB-C chargers.
Premium economy passengers can look forward to privacy head wings, increased seat storage, versatile and expandable side table design, refined recliner lounge comfort with calf rest, and more.
Riyadh Air economy on 787
Riyadh Air’s economy class will consist of 223 seats, spread across 25 rows, in a 3-3-3 configuration. Riyadh Air has chosen the Recaro R3 platform, with each seat having 31″ of pitch, 17.2″ of width, a 13.4” 4K OLED screen, two USB-C chargers, and six-way adjustable headrests.
My take on Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787 cabins
I’d say that Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787 cabins look about as nice as one could reasonably expect, while still making commercial sense. Admittedly the 787-9 isn’t a huge jet, so it’s not like an A380, where there’s a bunch of extra space to add amenities with limited opportunity cost.
With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on Riyadh Air’s interiors:
- I find the cabin aesthetics and finishes to be gorgeous, and in particular, I love the canopy twist design on the business class seats, intended to evoke the feeling of traditional Arabic tents
- The Safran Unity platform is the best “off the shelf” business class product that you’ll find, in my opinion, and they’re the same seats you’ll find on Japan Airlines’ A350s
- The tech across the plane sounds pretty awesome, from free Viasat Wi-Fi, to headrest speakers in business class, to bluetooth audio and 4K OLED screens across the plane
- Riyadh Air went for a pretty standard layout in terms of the number of premium seats, so this isn’t some uber-premium configuration; for example, United has 48 business class seats on its 787-9s, and American plans 51 business class seats on its upcoming 787-9s
So yeah, really the thing that stands out to me about the plane is how elegant and thoughtful all of the finishes look. Hopefully it looks as good in person as it does in pictures.
Bottom line
Riyadh Air has unveiled the cabins for its Boeing 787-9s, which will enter service as of later this year. While I wouldn’t say they’re revolutionary, they’re as nice as one could expect on such a plane, with particularly nice design and all the latest tech. I look forward to seeing if the cabins look this great in person.
What do you make of Riyadh Air’s 787 cabins?
Tony Douglas is embracing Premium economy here with an even larger cabin than expected. New entrants usually start with 21/28 seats to 'test the waters' before increasing seat count, but he went 'all in' here.
I wonder why he didn't take this approach with Etihad on their B787 and A350.
Etihad was likely following the example set by its competitors (Emirates and Qatar) at the time. All of those airlines were focused on having an above average and adequate Economy Class experience, so there weren't really interested in having a Premium Economy cabin. Then post-2015 Etihad was all about cost cutting due to the losses the airline had, which meant they wouldn't have had the ability to invest in developing a Premium Economy product. I...
Etihad was likely following the example set by its competitors (Emirates and Qatar) at the time. All of those airlines were focused on having an above average and adequate Economy Class experience, so there weren't really interested in having a Premium Economy cabin. Then post-2015 Etihad was all about cost cutting due to the losses the airline had, which meant they wouldn't have had the ability to invest in developing a Premium Economy product. I agree that EY should consider adding it now.
The intend to offer free wifi but will the wifi be restricted?
Looks pretty good overall. I just don't see the point of another ME carrier that flies an extra several thousand miles to connect me to where I need. I won't personally be going to Riyadh anytime soon and it doesn't take me anywhere else I want to go efficiently.
Starlux was exciting to me because TPE is an effective transit hub to Asia, in particular SE Asia, and Taiwan has actual appeal as a destination...
Looks pretty good overall. I just don't see the point of another ME carrier that flies an extra several thousand miles to connect me to where I need. I won't personally be going to Riyadh anytime soon and it doesn't take me anywhere else I want to go efficiently.
Starlux was exciting to me because TPE is an effective transit hub to Asia, in particular SE Asia, and Taiwan has actual appeal as a destination to visit. On that note, it's rumored that JX's first destination to Europe will be HEL, which 100% means an AY partnership, hopefully in the form of Avios awards and/or OW membership.
To use a modernist term, I was …. “Blown away” by the New La Premiere cabin.
The Riyadh Air offering has some very nice design accents, however, sadly it is not in the same league as the French offering.
Two dark, too easily mistaken for some notable Far Eastern renditions …. and yes, I am well aware that I’m comparing a J to an F product.
2 Thoughts:
1. I wonder if they'll offer award tickets right off the bat at schedule open (via either VS, TK, or SQ). Could be a lucrative opportunity to try them out (presuming they *won't* have attractive pricing for J on release).
2. Is there any info as to destinations yet?
The business class cabin looks cramped and a bit oppressive, and then I figured out that for some reason they installed useless central overhead bins in the already tiny (small circumference) 787. It really comes off as cheap, not premium in any way other than the fact that they're installing what anyone would in 2025 (4K screens, bluetooth, etc. etc.).
Empty marketing PR.
Nice. But as a self described premium airline, I’m a bit suprised there isn’t a larger premium cabin. Mighty heavy Y configuration there.
Premium doesn't mean volume.
It means quality.
The cabin doesn't need to be large to call it a premium carrier. In fact, it's supposed to be the opposite. A smaller, more private cabin, less availability increases the value of individual seats and service should be better personalised. That's why La Premier is 4 seats and not 8 or 12.
Same with Delta who can command a higher premium price on its A350 compared to United or American equivalents.
Ben, since this won't have first class, do you know if Saudia has any plans to revamp their F? I would think with all the money SA is pouring into tourism that they would want an incredible, even over-the-top first class product to accompany that.
@ pstm91 -- As I'll cover in a separate post, Riyadh Air actually does plan to offer first class on some future aircraft, just not 787s. Unfortunately no plans have been announced for Saudia to revamp its first class. With most of the money being poured into Riyadh and not Jeddah, I wouldn't expect much.
"guests should have no issues staying entertainment."
You mean staying connected ;)
Nothing on wireless charging?
They really put some thought into their design especially the patterns on the seatback and table finishes that plenty of airlines tend to overlook.
But 31" in economy—ouch.
I'm just surprised Executive Traveller hasn't written an article yet!
@ Mike O. -- Good catch, fixed, thanks!
Beautiful cabins.
Not bad. Not bad at all.