Riyadh Air: Not Only Dreamliners Here Comes the A350 Order

The clock is ticking and we're getting ever closer to one of the most anticipated launches in civil aviation of the last few years. Riyadh Air is entering the final phases of its preparation before operations commence. However, the Saudi airline still hasn't finished its aircraft shopping, with another meaty order announcement coming from the Paris Air Show 2025.

The Largest Airbus Still In Production For Riyadh Air's Fleet

For those of you that are not accustomed with Riyadh Air, the airline is preparing to shortly launch operations. PIF has envisioned this new carrier to work side by side with the current only national carrier, Saudia. The idea is that Saudia will take care of flights out of Jeddah with a more traditional approach while Riyadh Air will be the innovative airline based in the country's capital.

Despite the launch date drawing closer the airline still is working on planning its fleet with the latest aircraft order coming in from the Paris Air Show 2025.

Riyadh Air, jointly with Airbus, announced to have placed an order for the largest aircraft Airbus currently produces, the A350-1000. Specifically the airline has ordered 25 Airbus A350-1000 with an option to its name for a possible additional 25 planes which would increase the total ordered to 50 units.

The A350s will complement the airline's long range fleet which will be made up solely of Boeing 787s at the airline's launch. Also it will be the XWB (Extra Wide Body) aircraft of the Riyadh Air fleet, having discarded the Boeing 777x as an option due to the long delays the project has suffered.

A Big Win For Airbus and the A350-1000

This is a major deal for Airbus. Not only has managed to win over an order from one of the most ambitious start up airlines, but it has also proven the A350-1000 is viable for airlines in the gulf region.

You may recall Emirates executives criticizing the A350-1000s performances when a couple of years back they decided not to order the aircraft type.

With Riyadh Air takin into its fleet the A350-1000 there will be 3 major carriers in the Gulf region operating the aircraft variant. A win that demonstrates how the A350-1000 is a viable option even for airlines in the middle east contrary to what Emirates had stated previously casting doubts on the aircraft's performances. Also a massive win is the fact that Riyadh Air has chosen the A350-1000 over the Boeing 777X.