Riyadh Air, the second airline established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled one of its two livery designs on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner through its social networks. The airline plans to begin operations in 2025 offering 100 destinations from Riyadh-King Khalid.
Riyadh Air began its ambitious project under the name RIA in June 2022, with the aim of competing with Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways. In March 2023, the official creation of Riyadh Air was announced as the new national airline owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). It will be part of a $100 billion state initiative to boost the growth of the aviation market.
It is important to note that Riyadh Air will not directly compete with Saudia, which has its operations base in Jeddah, the country’s second-largest city. In this way, the two national airlines will coexist and complement their services.
After the launch of Riyadh Air, a order for 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft was confirmed. The initial order of the company also includes an option to purchase 33 additional aircraft. In addition, they are in negotiations to acquire 150 Boeing 737 MAX for short and medium-haul regional routes.
The Boeing 787 will be presented in Paris
The Riyadh Air Boeing 787, with provisional registration N5872C, previously had the MIAT Mongolian livery and was registered as N9676N. According to reports, the plane will be presented at the Paris Air Show, which will take place from June 19 to 25 this year.
The aircraft was painted at the Boeing facilities at Portland International Airport (PDX), Oregon, and then transferred to Charleston International Airport (CHS), South Carolina, where the main Dreamliner manufacturing facilities are located.
According to the airline, this design represents «a perfect combination of cutting-edge technology and timeless elegance». The primary color schemes used are lavender and blue. Lavender, native to Saudi Arabia, symbolizes hospitality and is used by the government for ceremonial and official purposes.
In addition, Riyadh Air has announced its IATA code, which is displayed on the tail of the Boeing 787 as «RX».
