Riyadh Air has exercised options to purchase an additional 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and an additional six Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, the carrier announced this week at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The Boeing deal includes 11 aircraft previously ordered but not announced, according to Riyadh Air. In addition, the new agreement also includes the conversion of 20 airplanes to the larger 787-10 variant.
The new Saudi Arabia-based airline already has taken delivery of six 787-9 planes from the manufacturer. Once the order is finalised, the carrier will have ordered 67 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in total.
The addition of the six Airbus A350-1000 planes will bring Riyadh Air's order to 31 of the aircraft. The carrier also has 60 Airbus A321 aircraft on order, with options for an additional 19 of the A350 aircraft remaining, according to the airline.
Riyadh Air did not indicate when the new orders were planned for delivery.
The aircraft orders follow the launch on 17 July of Riyadh Air’s new four-times-weekly service to Madrid. The carrier has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Spanish carrier Air Europa.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the agreement is expected to establish interline connectivity, potential codeshare cooperation and loyalty programme reciprocity, according to the carriers.