Inside Riyadh Air's 72-Boeing 787 Order & The Slot-Sitting Trick That Got It To Heathrow

On June 5, 2026, Riyadh Air transitioned from concept to operational airline when two custom-configured Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners—registered HZ-RXAA and HZ-RXAB and operating under the call signs Riyadh One and Riyadh Two—landed at King Khalid International Airport following transoceanic ferry flights from Charleston, South Carolina, and Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The pair form the opening tranche of an up-to-72 Dreamliner acquisition that sits at the core of a broader strategy tied to Saudi Vision 2030, backed by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and aimed at injecting more than $20 billion into the non-oil economy while directly creating over 200,000 jobs.

Direct quote

Riyadh Air has described the new jets as "the foundation for" its "worldwide operations."

Context and operational detail

The twin widebodies arrived to a ceremonial water-cannon salute after a synchronised ferry operation that had the aircraft establish a loose formation and complete legs of more than 15 hours over multiple air traffic control jurisdictions. The Washington-originated jet covered roughly 7,400 miles (11,909 km) on its delivery flight. Riyadh Air selected the 787-9 as its baseline type for range and efficiency: the model carries a maximum takeoff weight of 571,500 pounds (259,228 kg), giving the carrier structural flexibility to open thin long-haul routes while avoiding the fuel and capacity penalties of larger quad-engine aircraft.

Financially, the venture is underpinned by the Public Investment Fund, which provides the sovereign capital that allows Riyadh Air to bypass many of the liquidity constraints that typically hamper airline startups. The carrier’s leadership is targeting connections to more than 100 destinations by 2030 and is framed as a catalyst to help the kingdom reach a target of 150 million international visitors annually later this decade.

Slot strategy and the Heathrow workaround

One immediate operational hurdle for a long-haul startup is securing and retaining access to constrained international airports, most notably London Heathrow. Slot regulations enforce an 80/20 threshold—airlines must operate their allocated slot pairs at least 80% of the time over a scheduling season or risk forfeiture. Riyadh Air secured daily Heathrow slots in mid-2025 with a regulatory deadline to commence operations by late October 2025, but delays in Boeing manufacturing and cabin seat certifications threatened the carrier’s ability to meet the utilisation requirement.

• To protect its Heathrow access, Riyadh Air launched a wet-lease workaround in late 2025, securing a single 787-9 from Oman Air—registered HZ-RXX and named Jamila.
• Under the Pathway to Perfect readiness program, Jamila operated daily between King Khalid International Airport and London Heathrow Terminal 4 for eight months, keeping the slots active while flights remained closed to the general public.

Outlook

With the first two Dreamliners in its fleet, Riyadh Air has moved from regulatory and logistical planning into tangible operations. The carrier must now scale crew, maintenance and commercial systems rapidly to meet its stated ambition to become a global hub alternative to nearby airports. Whether the up-to-72 Dreamliner order, sovereign capital backing and the Heathrow slot-preservation manoeuvre can translate into sustainable, revenue-generating routes remains the pivotal test as Riyadh Air prepares to expand beyond demonstration flights and into full commercial service.