Riyadh Air Unveils First Boeing 787-9 Livery
Riyadh Air has unveiled the first images of the livery its fleet of aircraft will wear once operations begin in 2025.
Riyadh Air has unveiled the first images of the livery its fleet of aircraft will wear once operations begin in 2025.
DALLAS — Saudi Arabia's newest airline, Riyadh Air (RX), has unveiled the first images of the livery its fleet of aircraft will wear once operations begin in 2025.
The scheme consists of a purple fuselage, with the tail covered in light blue paint, where the logo of RX is applied. In the front part of the fuselage, the titles of the airlines are displayed both in English and Arabic, accompanied by the flag of Saudi Arabia, similarly fitted as on the Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV) livery.
The first aircraft to wear the RX livery is a Boeing 787-9 with manufacturer registration N8572C, which is one of the 72 total units ordered by the new carrier back in March 2023. Also, it is known that RX is currently in talks with Boeing for an imminent order of more than 300 Boeing 737 MAX family jets.
In the first week of May, a delegation of RX visited Boeing's Charleston 787 Factory to review and evaluate the quality standards of the design, manufacturing, and assembly of the Dreamliner in South Carolina.
The confirmed order list of commercial aircraft for the new airline consists solely of the Dreamliner order, with 33 firm units added to 39 additional options. However, the carrier has been in talks with both Boeing and Airbus for future orders for both narrow-body and widebody aircraft for the coming years.
Riyadh Air has been in talks with Airbus since October 2022 for the purchase of around 40 units of the Airbus A350XWB family of jets, which would be the first time this aircraft would be operated by a Saudi carrier.
The airline has also been negotiating with Boeing for the Boeing 737 MAX family. Some sources have extended the number of MAX jets up to 400 units in total, given the air travel demand that is expected in the Middle East during the next 10 years.
https://twitter.com/RiyadhAir/status/1665361764362625024?s=20
Riyadh Air is looking to operate in exactly the same markets as the currently largest airline in the KSA, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV), which at the moment operates almost 160 aircraft to over 90 destinations in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The new airline looks to offer flights to over 100 destinations worldwide by 2030 and create more than 200.000 direct and indirect jobs. This will add a massive US$20bn to the non-oil GDP of the country.
Riyadh Air is relying on the experience of Tony Douglas, who has accepted to join the project as CEO after years with Etihad Airways (EY) in the same role.
Featured image: Riyadh Air
https://airwaysmag.com/saudi-arabia-new-airline-riyadh-air/
