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Sources said that the start-up airline Riyadh Air is studying the purchase of between 25 and 30 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft by exercising most of its contractual options with the US aircraft manufacturer.

Riyadh Air, which operated its first revenue commercial flight last month, ordered up to 72 Boeing Dreamliner aircraft in 2023, including 39 firm orders and options for 33 additional aircraft.

The sources said that an announcement of the Saudi company converting the majority of those options into firm purchases could be made at the Farnborough Airshow next week, but they said details are still under discussion.

Riyadh Air and Boeing declined to comment.

Riyadh Air, founded in 2023, is the second national airline in the kingdom after Saudi Arabian Airlines, and is owned by the Public Investment Fund.

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas recently stated that the company's fleet is scheduled to increase to eight aircraft by the end of July, and that it intends to fly to 22 cities by March 2027.

With up to 72 787 aircraft, up to 60 A321neo, and 50 A350 aircraft on order, Douglas describes the company as 'the largest global start-up airline in modern history'.

Douglas said the company has so far announced flights to Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Madrid, and Manchester, and likely cities in India will follow.

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