Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air has signed its first-ever plane lease for a single Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The airline introduced a take care of AviLease on Monday that can carry a 787-9 into its fleet by the fourth quarter of this yr.
“We’re happy to finish our first plane lease with AviLease as we proceed constructing a younger, fuel-efficient fleet forward of our industrial launch,” Riyadh Air CFO Adam Boukadida mentioned in a information launch. “The Boeing 787 is a extremely succesful plane that can play an essential position in delivering a world-class journey expertise for our future visitors. This settlement marks an essential step in establishing Riyadh Air as a number one international airline.”
Riyadh Air, fashioned in 2023, is working towards the launch of full industrial service from its deliberate base at King Khalid Worldwide Airport close to Riyadh. It is going to function the second flag service of the nation, behind Jeddah-based Saudia.
Riyadh Air has ordered dozens of Dreamliners and Airbus A321s over the past two years. The service expects to serve about 100 locations by 2030, however as of this month solely two had been introduced – Dubai and London.
The airline operated an inaugural flight between Riyadh and London Heathrow on Sunday. Whereas technically a industrial flight, it carried solely employees from Riyadh Air and the Public Funding Fund.
In an interview with CNBC this week, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas mentioned tickets will go on sale for most of the people as soon as the airline has taken supply of its first three manufacturing plane.
