Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air committed to purchase 28 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners at the Farnborough Airshow on July 20, converting 20 of them from the 787-9 to the larger 787-10 as it accelerates a widebody build-out ahead of the airline's launch.
28 More 787s, Now Skewed To 787-10
The commitment turns previously unfirmed options from a 2023 memorandum into a hard order and pushes Riyadh Air's 787 backlog toward 67 aircraft once the deal is fully finalised. Adding roughly 50 more seats per 787-10 versus the 787-9, the switch will raise the airline's per-frame long-haul capacity as it targets an initial network of more than 100 destinations by 2030.
Airbus Gets A Slice Too
Alongside the Boeing deal, Riyadh Air also firmed up options for six additional Airbus A350-1000s, bringing that firm order to 31 aircraft. The dual sourcing gives Chief Executive Peter Bellew flexibility on production slots and engine choice at a time when both airframers are running record backlogs.
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 Aviation Bet
Owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air is central to the kingdom's Vision 2030 push to triple annual passenger numbers to 330 million by 2030 and turn Riyadh into a Gulf hub to rival Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. First revenue flights are expected in the second half of 2026.
The order lands alongside a day-one Farnborough tally that already includes BOC Aviation's 300 CFM LEAP engines, Philippine Airlines' 787-10 commitment, and Boeing and Airbus' joint SMBC narrow-body haul.
Reporting based on coverage from Boeing, Bloomberg, FlightGlobal and PR Newswire.