Breaking: Riyadh Air Firms Up Major Airbus A350 & Boeing 787 Orders

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.* Last updated 06:10 EST July 20, 2026 by Luke Bodell* Riyadh Air has made waves at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 with an order for 28 examples of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The announcement marks the first major order of the show, with the new Saudi Arabian airline's order coming in the form of 28 exercised options from a previous deal struck in 2023. A key headline from this latest transaction is the conversion to the Boeing 787-10. Of these 28 exercised options, Riyadh Air plans to convert 20 from the mid-sized 787-9 model to the stretched 787-10 variant. Elsewhere, the carrier simultaneously underlined its commitment to large widebody twinjets by firming up an order for another six units of the Airbus A350-1000. This brings the carrier's firm commitment for the type to 31, with 25 A350-1000s having already been locked in. Riyadh Air's Firm Dreamliner Commitment Grows To 67 Credit: Shutterstock The new Saudi carrier has now firmed up a sizable chunk of its options from a 2023 deal for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, split between 39 firm orders and options for a further 33 aircraft. By exercising 28 of those options, Riyadh Air has just five unconverted options remaining in this deal. The announcement also includes a previously unidentified purchase of 11 of the widebody jets. More notably, it has opted to convert 20 of the 787-9 options to the larger 787-10 variant, introducing an entirely new model to Riyadh Air's future fleet. The stretched 787-10 is the largest member of the Dreamliner family measuring 68.3 meters in length. According to Boeing, the 787-10 typically offers 50 more seats than the 787-9, delivering 25% reductions in fuel use and emissions compared to previous-generation aircraft. Already an operator of the 787-9 with seven planes in its fleet, Riyadh Air will benefit from fleet commonality, including shared flight deck systems, training and maintenance. The airline has not indicated what kind of seating layout the larger 787-10 will offer, although its current 787-9s are configured with 290 seats across business, premium economy and economy cabins. Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, commented, "The 787-10 will be a great complement to Riyadh Air's growing fleet and advance the airline's mission to be a world-class airline that delivers an exceptional passenger experience." Six More Airbus A350-1000s Credit: Airbus Riyadh Air will also be a future Airbus A350 operator, adding to its firm order for 25 A350-1000s by exercising another six options. This comes from an agreement signed at the Paris Air Show in June 2025 for up to 50 A350-1000s split evenly between firm orders and options. This means the airline still holds 19 unexercised options for the type, leaving room for further growth. It is set to become the first operator of the A350-1000 in Saudi Arabia. While the 787 Dreamliner will form the bulk of its long-haul operations, the A350-1000 has been earmarked for the carrier's highest-demand intercontinental routes. Only 6 Weeks Into Operations Credit: Shutterstock The carrier completed its first revenue service in June 2026, connecting its King Khalid International Airport (RUH) hub with London Heathrow Airport (LHR) using a Boeing 787-9. The inaugural flight came just over three years after Riyadh Air's launch in March 2023, marking one of the fastest startup-to-service timelines for a full-service long-haul carrier in recent memory. As per ch-aviation data, its current fleet consists of seven Dreamliners, but this will grow fast as the year progresses. According to CEO Tony Douglas, the airline plans to operate eight aircraft by the end of July and is targeting 22 destinations by March 2027. Its network is growing rapidly since its launch in June, with the likes of Malaga (AGP), Madrid (MAD) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) all set to begin this summer. The Saudi airline is also building an extensive narrowbody fleet, placing an order for 60 Airbus A321neo-family jets in 2024. This order contains a combination of the A321neo and A321XLR, the latter capable of flying up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km).