It most certainly has not been the 2026 that Riyadh Air envisioned just a few months ago. Nonetheless, the airline is trying to get the ball rolling and more routes active and ramp up operations. Just this month of June 2026, Riyadh Air has received three aircraft over the span of three days.
In this post:
- 3 Boeing 787s Delivered in Three Days
- No Dark Livery Aircraft Yet In Sight
- Important Additions To Fuel Much Needed Growth
- The 787s Will Have to Do While Riyadh Air Awaits it A350-1000s
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Riyadh Air: 3 Boeing 787s Delivered in Three Days
There were great expectations for Riyadh Air, and I don’t think we’ve been able to see much from the carrier due to the geopolitical instability that has swept across the Middle Eastern region in the first half of 2026.
The airline only had one aircraft to work with until now, and it put it to use on the most classic and profitable route from the Middle East, which is from Riyadh to London Heathrow.
However, in June, finally, some more new metal has arrived and joined the Riyadh Air fleet.
Specifically, the aircraft are three Boeing 787-9, registered:
| Registration | Delivery Date | Aircraft Type |
|---|---|---|
| HZ-RXAA | 04/06/2026 | Boeing 787-9 |
| HZ-RXAB | 04/06/2026 | Boeing 787-9 |
| HZ-RXAC | 06/06/2026 | Boeing 787-9 |
HZ-RXAC is the outlier of the three, as it arrived in Riyadh on June 6th, 2026, from Charleston and not from Everett, as the other two aircraft delivered on June 4th did.
With these three new arrivals, the total Boeing 787 fleet rises to four units, with 69 yet to be delivered, I can only see the rate of aircraft handover accelerating from here onwards.
No Dark Livery Aircraft Yet In Sight
Before delving deeper into more serious considerations, let’s take a little break and talk about the livery.
All four aircraft, including the last three delivered in June of 2026, don the light livery.
Therefore, none of the currently operational Boeing 787-9 featured the stunning dark livery that the airline had put on display at the Paris air show last year.
I wonder if we will actually ever see one of those aircraft, considering that Riyadh gets pretty toasty during the year and black is a tough color to live with if you are in one of the hottest regions of the world.
Important Additions To Fuel Much Needed Growth
The big issue for Riyadh Air is that it’s no use dilly-dallying around it: the geopolitical instability there has been in the Middle East since late February 2026.
The airline has huge ambitions. The goal is to take on aviation giants of the region, such as Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad, making Saudi Arabia both a tourist destination and a massive transit hub.
The ambitions are maybe a little bit out of touch with reality, especially taking into account the most recent events in the Middle East. The country as a whole is targeting 150 million visitors by 2030 and serve 330 million passengers annually by 2030.
That would imply having exponential growth over the next years, and I honestly don’t know how feasible it actually is.
With all of that in mind, Riyadh Air is looking to power up its operations as the Middle East attempts to return to a quasi-normality during the summer season.
We don’t have exact details about where these aircraft will be deployed. It’s likely the London route will be enhanced, but the airline also stated that it intends to serve Cairo and Jeddah with these early 787 arrivals.
I must say that it is a little bit odd, considering that Jeddah is the home to the other Saudi carrier Saudia. Are we starting to step on each other’s toes here?
I do expect, however, that Riyadh Air will announce some more high-yield destinations on longer routes, as that would allow it to inject more passenger volume and revenue into the system in the short term.
The 787s Will Have to Do While Riyadh Air Awaits it A350-1000s
The other issue for Riyadh Air, and one they hope they will have, is the capacity constraints that the Boeing 787-9 imposes on the airline.
Riyadh Air has ordered 25 Airbus A350-1000s with options for 25 more, but is not going to be receiving them anytime soon. It’s unlikely we’ll see these aircraft operating for Riyadh Air this year or next year.
Therefore, the carrier will have to operate all of its long-haul routes using the Boeing 787-9, even those that would be able to sustain a larger aircraft such as the A350-1000.