The start-up airline is doubling down on its fleet growth.
Riyadh Air A321neo renderings (Photo: Airbus)
Riyadh Air placed a firm order for 60 A321neo jets from Airbus on Wednesday.
According to a news release from the manufacturer, the agreement was signed at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The order marks a significant milestone for Riyadh Air, which was founded in March last year as a new premium international airline based in Saudi Arabia.
The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the public investment fund for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and chairman of Riyadh Air, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, and Christian Scherer, chief executive officer for commercial aircraft at Airbus.
“This investment will not only enable us to support economic growth in the aviation industry, it will ensure Riyadh Air operates one of the most fuel efficient fleets,” Douglas said in the release. “It’ll be instrumental in helping Saudi Arabia achieve its decarbonisation goals. This deal strongly reinforces the positive economic impact of Saudi Arabia’s newest airline on both a global and local scale to facilitate the fast-growing Saudi aviation ecosystem.”
The carrier first stepped into the airline industry with an order of 39 Boeing 787 Dreamliners along with options for 33 more of the 787-9 variant last year.
The A321neo is the largest in Airbus’ A320neo family of aircraft. To date, over 6,700 A321neo have been ordered by over 90 customers around the world.
“We are proud to welcome Riyadh Air as a new Airbus customer and partner,” Scherer said in the release. “The latest generation A321neo aircraft will bring exceptional efficiency to the airline’s operations, concrete contributions to its decarbonisation goals and comfort to its passengers. We look forward to working together to support the strong ambitions of Saudi aviation.”
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
After years of suspending fleet growth, All Nippon Airways Holdings confirmed plans to enhance its fleet by adding 77 aircraft, including 68…
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said the company could prioritize deliveries to its non-U.S. customers if tariffs impacted its American imports.…
Malaysia Airlines has added a second Airbus A330-900neo to its fleet. The aircraft arrived in the Malaysian capital on Tuesday,…
