Saudi Arabia's new national carrier Riyadh Air is exercising options for 28 more Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, with 20 of them converted to the larger 787-10 variant, the airline and Boeing announced Monday, according to a Boeing press release.

The agreement covers most of the remaining options from Riyadh Air's original 2023 order and also includes a previously unidentified purchase of 11 additional widebody jets. Once the remaining 17 aircraft are finalized, Riyadh Air's firm order count for the 787 Dreamliner will rise to 67, the release said.

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said the commitment marked another milestone in the airline's journey toward serving more than 100 international destinations by 2030, a key goal under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan. He said passengers had responded well to the airline's current fleet of six 787-9 jets and that adding the 787-10 would strengthen its ability to meet growing passenger and cargo demand while giving it more operational flexibility.

According to Boeing, operating both the 787-9 and 787-10 will give Riyadh Air fleet commonality, including shared flight deck systems, maintenance procedures, and pilot training, helping the airline run more efficiently while maintaining a consistent passenger experience.

The 787 Dreamliner family is built with the largest windows of any commercial aircraft, along with higher cabin humidity, lower cabin altitude pressure, and turbulence-sensing technology aimed at improving passenger comfort, the release noted. As the largest member of the Dreamliner family, the 787-10 offers 50 more seats than the 787-9 while cutting fuel use and emissions by 25 percent compared with the aircraft it replaces, per Boeing.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope said the company was honoured that Riyadh Air was placing additional orders to support its future growth, adding that the 787-10 would complement the airline's fleet as it works toward becoming a world-class carrier.

Riyadh Air has taken delivery of six 787-9 jets so far and currently serves six cities. The airline, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, expects its expansion to generate more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute over $20 billion to the Kingdom's non-oil GDP by 2030, according to the release.

Source: PR