Riyadh Air Orders 28 Boeing 787s, Introducing the 787-10
Photo: Mztourist / CC BY-SA 4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · source
Saudi Arabia’s emerging flag carrier, Riyadh Air, converted previous options to firm orders for 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow. The purchase introduces the stretched 787-10 variant to the company's fleet, alongside its existing 787-9s, pushing its total firm widebody commitment to 67 aircraft. This aggressive expansion matters to aspiring airline pilots because the common type rating between Dreamliner variants creates streamlined training pathways as the carrier hires flight crews to support its goal of reaching 100 destinations by 2030.
Read the full take
Riyadh Air’s decision to firm up another 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners highlights a remarkably aggressive scaling strategy for a startup carrier. By bringing the larger 787-10 into the fold alongside its currently active 787-9s, the Saudi Arabian airline acquires the ability to upgauge capacity on high-demand routes without incurring additional crew training or maintenance complexity. For professional pilots, fleet commonality is a critical factor in career progression. Because the 787-9 and 787-10 share identical flight decks and pilot type ratings, aviators joining Riyadh Air will benefit from flexible scheduling and a unified training footprint. This operational simplicity allows the airline to deploy flight crews seamlessly across different capacity profiles, a necessary advantage as it scales from just six active aircraft today to a projected widebody fleet of 67 Dreamliners. The Farnborough 2026 announcement is fundamentally tied to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic initiative. Backed by the nation’s Public Investment Fund, the carrier is tasked with establishing a global network of 100 destinations by the end of the decade, driving non-oil revenue and generating thousands of aviation jobs. Moving forward, the industry will be watching how quickly Boeing can deliver these airframes amid ongoing supply chain constraints. Additionally, as Riyadh Air exhausts its widebody options, observers anticipate eventual narrowbody orders to feed its long-haul hubs. For aspiring commercial pilots, this well-funded Middle Eastern carrier represents a massive, rapidly growing target for future widebody career opportunities.