Riyadh Air orders up to 50 Airbus A350-1000 jets to ahead of 2025 launch
Riyadh Air has signed a major agreement with Airbus to purchase up to 50 A350-1000 aircraft, reinforcing its ambitious plans to become a global aviation leader.
The deal, unveiled at the 55th Paris Airshow, includes 25 firm orders and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by top aviation and government leaders, including Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Riyadh Air, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, and Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer.
Riyadh Air orders up to 50 Airbus planes
With an operational range of more than 16,000km, the Airbus A350-1000 will empower Riyadh Air to connect the Saudi capital with major cities worldwide, supporting its goal of flying to more than 100 global destinations by 2030.
The aircraft's range and capacity align perfectly with Saudi Arabia's plans to host global events including Riyadh Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF Governor and Chairman of Riyadh Air said: 'Our new national carrier is set to take to the skies in the near future, and as a fundamental element of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's infrastructure, will connect our capital city to over 100 international destinations around the globe by 2030.
'With its outstanding range, adding the Airbus A350-1000 to our fleet demonstrates the strategic contribution of Riyadh Air in positioning Saudi Arabia as a global aviation hub.'
Riyadh Air will begin operations in 2025 with a three-type aircraft fleet, of which the A350-1000 will serve as a cornerstone. With up to 182 aircraft now on order, the airline aims to offer best-in-class passenger experiences through innovative cabin design, stylish First-Class options, and state-of-the-art digital and entertainment systems.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said: 'Riyadh Air is making significant progress as we move towards our first flight later this year and agreeing this deal for up to 50 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft is an important statement of intent.
'Already in 2025, we have received our AOC and unveiled our new cabin interiors and having now completed our initial three aircraft orders, we are in a position to fulfil our ambitious network goals.
'We play an important role in the evolution of the Saudi aviation ecosystem with the aim to create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute almost $20bn to the Kingdom's non-oil GDP.'
Christian Scherer, Chief Executive Officer Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, said: 'We are honoured to support Riyadh Air's bold vision with the A350-1000, the world's most modern and efficient widebody aircraft.
'This partnership reflects our shared commitment to innovation and decarbonization whilst connecting the vibrant Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the world! Riyadh Air's selection of the A350-1000 underscores the aircraft's unmatched capability to deliver premium passenger experience and operational excellence—perfectly aligned with the ambitions of Vision 2030.'
Backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, PIF, Riyadh Air is a key driver of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy and elevate its global connectivity. The airline is expected to play a significant role in:
Boosting international passenger and cargo traffic
Supporting the Saudi National Transport and Logistics Strategy
Enabling tourism by linking travellers with Saudi Arabia's cultural, historic, and natural sites
Positioning Riyadh as a global business and travel hub
With operations launching in late 2025, Riyadh Air is poised to become one of the most advanced carriers in the world, setting new standards in aviation experience, sustainability, and connectivity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arabian Business
2 hours ago
- Arabian Business
RTA slashes Dubai vehicle licensing services by 74%
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has reduced Dubai vehicle licensing services by 74 per cent in major digital transformation push. As part of an ongoing push toward delivering smarter and more efficient government services, the RTA reduced the number of vehicle licensing services from 54 to just 14, The 74 per cent reduction is aimed at streamlining operations, enhancing customer satisfaction, and accelerating the emirate's smart transformation goals. Dubai vehicle licences The move is part of the '360 Comprehensive Services' plan, an initiative designed to reengineer public services by integrating advanced digital technologies, simplifying processes, and aligning with the Dubai Government's vision to become the world's most digitally advanced city. Ahmed Mahboob, CEO of the Licensing Agency at RTA, said: 'The RTA remains committed to realising its vision and mission of establishing Dubai as a global leader in smart road and transport systems, and a benchmark for seamless, sustainable, and innovative mobility. 'This also aligns with efforts to elevate Dubai's standing in government service excellence and advance its ambition to become the world's most digitally advanced city'. 'The integration of services represents a positive advancement that has enabled the reengineering of vehicle licensing procedures. This approach simplifies the customer journey, reduces the number of steps and physical visits required, and shortens processing times. What's changing for Dubai drivers and vehicle owners? The reform significantly simplifies the vehicle licensing journey, with key highlights including: Request for Vehicle Registration Certificate: Previously involved 13 separate service steps — now consolidated into one streamlined process Export and transfer services: Six separate services have been merged into a single, simplified transaction under 'Vehicle Registration Cancellation' Plate delivery integration: Customers can now complete the plate collection process remotely, fully integrated with the UAE Pass and delivery systems The service overhaul is powered by advanced technologies and real-time data integration with local and federal government entities, enabling faster transaction times, reduced physical touchpoints, improved sustainability and operational efficiency and better service for both individual and corporate users.
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
How VCs are navigating Europe's defence spending push
As venture capital investors look to profit from Europe's defence spending boom, speculators hunting for the next unicorn need to navigate hurdles such as EU sustainability guidelines and difficulties for start-ups in a market dominated by large prime contractors. The European Union has earmarked up to 800 billion euros ($920 billion) for defence through 2030 with a bulk of that amount expected to go to prime contractors such as France's Airbus or Germany's Rheinmetall. But with large defence contractors focused on meeting record demand due to the war in Ukraine, investors and start-up founders are betting that defence technology startups can fill an innovation gap in Europe, developing technology and driving growth and possibly attracting the attention of those big players later on. "We think it's an important trend and we're investing behind it," said Sequoia investor Julien Bek. His firm invested $15.5 million in German autonomous drone company STARK in October 2024, according to PitchBook. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's prodding of NATO countries to raise defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product from a current 2% have spurred the EU to ramp up its military spending plans. It has also drawn venture capital funding into European defence tech, which hit $1 billion in 2024, up from a modest $373 million in 2022. That is up fivefold since 2020, yet Europe's defence tech sector has produced just three unicorns — startups with a valuation of $1 billion — and last year attracted just 1.7% of the venture capital money in Europe, according to startup data provider Dealroom. Among the biggest barriers to entry for venture capital targeting defence tech in Europe are strict EU ESG rules, which forbid investment in lethal, single-use technology, according to more than a dozen investors, companies and government officials interviewed by Reuters. Many funds receive individual state government or EU backing, which in most cases precludes them from investing in defence. Despite the EU's support for Ukraine, only Estonia and Finland have established government-backed funds allowing for investments into lethal, single-use technology. Borys Musielak, managing partner at Smok Ventures, a U.S. VC firm based in Warsaw, said rules there had prompted funds like his to invest in cybersecurity. "In Poland nearly every fund has some part of it government or European funding, which makes it difficult to invest in defence," he said. Jan-Hendrik Boelens, CEO of Munich-based Alpine Eagle, which develops counter-drone systems, the topic of ESG represents a hurdle that remains for investors and startups. "There are changes on the way, but I can't say that they've happened yet, at least not to the extent that they should," he said, referring to governments or investors changing policies to facilitate more defence investment. "If you are not a pure weapon of war, as it is called, then I think that is very fundable. If you cross this line into actually becoming a lethal weapon, that might still be very difficult to fund." Some VCs seek to avoid ESG restrictions by targeting so-called "dual-use" technologies that have civilian as well as military applications. Such technologies include computer vision where AI mimics human vision to interpret visual information, robots, cybersecurity software and autonomous drones. All three of Europe's defence tech unicorns — German battlefield software firm Helsing, German drone maker Quantum Systems and Portuguese drone company Tekever — market themselves as dual-use. Sten Tamkivi is a partner in Tallinn- and London-based investment platform Plural, which has invested in Helsing. "We and our limited partner base are aligned with the idea that defending the future of our democracies is a moral good, but some investor bases at other firms say lethal is not okay," Tamkivi told Reuters. London-based VC firm Balderton in 2025 led a 160 million euro funding round by Munich-based Quantum Systems. "Why this one? I think it's serendipity, right team, right company, right timing," said Rana Yared, a general partner at Balderton. "We passed on almost everything that we had looked at up until that point," she said. Founded in 2015, Quantum Systems' AI-operated reconnaissance drones provide real-time battlefield intelligence and are being used in Ukraine. "We have shown we can deliver due to three years at the battlefront, with more than 800 systems in Ukraine," Quantum Systems co-CEO Sven Kruck told Reuters. "The defence market is getting hotter," he said. "Every investor is now creating a defence fund." Last month the company raised 160 million euros to take its total funding to 310 million euros. It also reached unicorn status, as did Tekever. With its increased defence spending plans, the European Commission is also looking to rewrite the rules to allow more investors to participate and individual governments are doing the same. The Commission has said next week it will propose giving governments more flexibility on defence procurement, which is another challenge startups face. They also need to contend with figuring out how to connect to and sell to the big players and governments who represent the majority of the customer base, investors say. In Finland, the country's pension agency, the Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, has removed a clause that had prevented it from investing in defence. Reuters
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Sheikh Mohammed to discuss national development
President Sheikh Mohamed met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to discuss the country's development. During their meeting at Al Marmoom in Dubai, they spoke of "the positive indicators the UAE economy continues to deliver, supporting the country's progress and prosperity", state news agency Wam reported on Monday. The discussion also touched on efforts to enhance government services for the benefit of all members of society, Wam added. The meeting took place in the presence of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court.
