Saudi Arabian startup Riyadh Air has placed an order for up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s at Paris Air Show 2025, in what was a widely expected announcement.
Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, described the order as an “important statement of intent” as the airline looks to launch commercial flights later this year.
The agreement includes 25 firm orders with purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft and adds to the existing 132 aircraft Riyadh Air already has on order.
The deal was agreed at a signing ceremony at Paris Le Bourget (LBG) on June 16, 2025, attended by Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer Adam Boukadida and Airbus EVP Sales of Commercial Aircraft Business, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry.
Riyadh Air Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, CEO of Riyadh Air Tony Douglas and CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer were also in attendance.
The new carrier said it had selected the Airbus A350-1000 to “further optimize its fleet, capacity and operations, while minimizing the number of aircraft types in the fleet”. The airline expects to serve over 100 destinations around the globe by 2030.
“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,” said Douglas.
He added: “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 $20 billion to the Kingdom’s non-oil GDP.”
Scherer said it was an “honor” for Airbus to support Saudi Arabia’s newest national airline with its “bold vision” for the A350-1000.
“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,” added Scherer.
The A350 is already capable of operating with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be 100% SAF-capable by 2030.
Riyadh Air has up to 182 aircraft on order including Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A321neos.
AeroTime editors and journalists are on the ground at Paris Air Show 2025 covering all the latest and biggest breaking news stories at this year’s event.
