Riyadh Air was founded back in 2023, as an ambitious and well-funded airline startup, intended as a second Saudi national airline, serving Riyadh (RUH). In March of that year, the airline announced an order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, and the first of those planes are now being delivered.
While the airline has technically already launched operations, for all practical purposes, this is the “real” start of the airline, with tickets actually being available to the public.
Riyadh Air takes delivery of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners
In March 2023, Riyadh Air placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, including 39 firm orders and 33 options. This was the first aircraft type the airline ordered, and in the meantime, it has also ordered up to 60 Airbus A321neos and up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s.
Riyadh Air’s “formal” launch was delayed quite a bit, due to Dreamliner delivery delays. That was a combination of “Boeing’s gonna Boeing,” as well as some delays with cabins, both of which are pretty common nowadays.
Finally, at long last, delivery of these brand new planes is actually starting, with two planes currently enroute to Riyadh:
- The Dreamliner with the registration code HZ-RXAA is en route from Charleston (CHS)
- The Dreamliner with the registration code HZ-RXAB is en route from Everett (PAE)
- The plan is for the two planes to essentially “meet” over Europe, and then fly one behind the other, landing in Riyadh around the same time, on the morning of Friday, June 5, 2026
Now, it’s worth pointing out that prior to this, Riyadh already had one Boeing 787-9, with the registration code HZ-RXX. The plane is painted the same as the other Riyadh Air Dreamliners, but the interior is completely different. This is a plane that previously flew for Oman Air, so it still has those interiors.
Why does Riyadh Air have this seemingly random aircraft? Well, it’s what the airline initially used to get through its certification process, and for crew and pilot training. Riyadh Air actually launched regularly scheduled flights to London (LHR) with this aircraft as of late October 2025, but for the most part, they haven’t been open to the public.
So, why has Riyadh Air flown this route? Well, because it managed to secure Heathrow slots, and those have a “use it lose it” clause, so if the airline didn’t operate the flights, it would lose those slots. But the airline didn’t want to open flights to the public with a subpar product, so these flights have primarily been for employees of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Riyadh Air Boeing 787s boast 290 seats in three cabins
Riyadh Air unveiled its new cabins over a year ago, and they look beautiful. The entire fleet of Dreamliners is expected to feature 290 seats per plane, spread across three cabins (along with a “business class plus” product). Here’s how this is broken down:
- 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
Throughout the plane, the airline will have free Viasat Wi-Fi, 4K OLED screens, and bluetooth audio, so the tech should be good. The cabins all look beautiful, and in business class, Riyadh Air is using the Safran Unity platform, which I’d consider to be among the best business class seats out there.
Riyadh Air’s new Boeing 787s will soon fly to London
As I recently covered, Riyadh Air flights between Riyadh and London are available to the general public on Riyadh Air’s website for bookings as of July 1, 2026, so that will be the formal launch of the airline, as intended.
The airline will continue operating that route daily, but it’ll finally be open to the public. Expect Riyadh Air to quickly expand its network beyond the initial route, given the number of aircraft on the way. The airline has quite the backlog of Dreamliners to be delivered.
Bottom line
In March 2023, Riyadh Air placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, and the first of those are now being delivered. This is a major milestone for the airline, as it really represents the true unveiling of the carrier, after flying to Heathrow for over seven months without selling tickets to the public (more or less).
It’ll be very interesting to see how Riyadh Air evolves. Expect these planes to start flying to London by July 1 at the latest, and then we’ll see more routes soon thereafter.
What do you make of Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787 deliveries?
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