Riyadh Air shares pictures of its first Boeing 787-9 as it nears completion
Riyadh Air has shared pictures of its first Boeing 787-9 as it is being readied at the Boeing manufacturing facility in Charleston, South Carolina.
A post shared on the airline’s X corporate account on August 26, 2025, showed the aircraft at Boeing’s assembly line in an advanced state of completion, its tail already emblazoned with the airline’s livery.
Fresh from the @BoeingAirplanes factory! Our first 787-9 aircraft is getting ready to roll off the assembly line and soon wear Riyadh Air’s iconic livery Thank you to our partners at @Boeing for bringing this milestone to life. pic.twitter.com/09GgyMRGKZ— Riyadh Air (@RiyadhAir) August 26, 2025While this is the first airframe built specifically for Riyadh Air, it is not the first B787-9 to sport the livery of Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier.
For a brief period of time in 2023, Riyadh Air used a Boeing 787-9, which was supplied by the US aircraft manufacturer, for promotional purposes. The aircraft in question was showcased at the 2023 Paris Air Show.
Then, in January 2025, Riyadh Air received another Dreamliner, this one previously operated by Oman Air, for crew training and familiarization purposes.
The aircraft had also been used on several demonstration flights and taken part in promotional events and air shows such as the 2025 Paris Air Show.
With its first aircraft nearing completion, Riyadh Air is approaching its expected public launch, planned for Q4 2025.
As of August 2025, Riyadh Air has firm orders for 39 Boeing 787-9s, plus options for another 33 more aircraft of this type.
Riyadh Air will operate its Dreamliners with a 290-seat layout and four classes of service: four Business Elite seats, with a double bed in the center front; 24 regular Business class seats in a 1-2-1 fully flat-bed layout; plus 39 Premium Economy and 223 Economy class seats in a 2-3-2 and a 3-3-3 layout, respectively.
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The post Riyadh Air shares pictures of its first Boeing 787-9 as it nears completion appeared first on AeroTime.
Riyadh Air has shared pictures of its first Boeing 787-9 as it is being readied at the Boeing…
The post Riyadh Air shares pictures of its first Boeing 787-9 as it nears completion appeared first on AeroTime.