Riyadh Air Buys Boeing 787-10 For First Time

Riyadh Air has placed the first order at the Farnborough Airshow 2026, with a top-up Boeing 787 Dreamliner deal that includes a new variant not yet in its fleet mix.

The new Saudi carrier will buy 28 additional aircraft from the American planemaker and convert a large portion of its existing options under an established contract into firm units.

For the Riyadh-based carrier, the 787 aligns with its strong ambitions, and this latest contract ensures the jet remains the backbone of widebody operations even after other aircraft are delivered.

Details Of Riyadh Air’s New Boeing 787 Commitment

The latest agreement will see Riyadh Air exercise options for 28 Boeing 787s and builds upon Riyadh Air’s inaugural contract for commercial jets, placed when it was outlining its bold ambitions for service in the early to mid-2020s.

Riyadh Air’s initial contract included 39 firm 787-9s with options for a further 33 that could be activated at a later date. Those options have been the centre of reporting in the lead-up to the Farnborough Airshow, as the Saudi carrier circled the American planemaker for more jets.

The agreement will see 20 airplanes transitioned from the 787-9 up to the high-capacity 787-10. This is the first time the airline has committed to the largest variant in the Dreamliner family and builds on the six cities and six jets currently in service.

Additionally, the announcement includes a previously undisclosed purchase of 11 Boeing widebody jets. As a result, once the remaining 17 aircraft are finalised, Riyadh Air’s firm order count will grow to 67.

The commitment to firm up an additional 28 787 Dreamliners and introduce the 787-10 marks another significant milestone in Riyadh Air’s journey towards over 100 international destinations by 2030, a key part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions. Following the recent launch of full operations, guests have been hugely impressed with the Riyadh Air experience onboard our current fleet of six Boeing 787 jets. The addition of the 787-10 strengthens our ability to accommodate growing passenger and cargo demand while providing the operational flexibility required to support our ambitious network plans.

Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air

A Vital Widebody For Launch

First deliveries of the Boeing 787-9 to the Riyadh-based carrier were heavily delayed, which meant that, despite having acquired slots, the first scheduled passenger flight to London Heathrow only commenced months ago.

The latest contract with Boeing comes off the back of now rapid deliveries that have allowed the fleet to scale to six units relatively quickly after the first passenger flight to Heathrow.

The Boeing 787s ultimately are not just the gateway to commercial service commencing for this Saudi carrier, but they are also tasked with ensuring the network build can be achieved rapidly.

Riyadh Air isn’t slowing down on serving new destinations, rolling out new cities monthly. That scale of growth is made possible not just by the current delivery frequency but also by the Dreamliner’s flexibility to serve long, thin routes during the initial launch phase.

The Boeing 787-9, with its backlog growing, is a simple decision, but adding the 787-10 shows an appetite to add more seats to widebody flying, whether for international or more regionally oriented flights. The flexibility of meaning variants can be changed across cities as seen fit.