Airbus Updates No.4502

 

Riyadh Air orders 25 Airbus A350-1000 plus 25 options

Riyadh Air (RX, Riyadh) placed a firm order for twenty-five A350-1000 on June 16, on the first day of the 2025 Paris Air Show. The company also secured purchase rights for an additional 25 jets of the type.

The new airline is set to become the first A350-1000 operator in Saudi Arabia. However, the delivery timeline has not been disclosed.

The agreement for up to fifty A350-1000s marks the third aircraft order for the airline that plans to launch scheduled passenger operations later in 2025. According to the ch-aviation Commercial Aviation Aircraft Data module, Riyadh Air is expected to receive sixty A321-200Ns and thirty-nine B787-9s. The company has one B787-9 in its fleet, which is currently used for testing purposes only and will not be a part of the operating fleet.

Airbus Updates No.4393

 Airbus October 2024 orders & deliveries

Airbus has released its figures over October 2024. Last month, the European manufacturer was able to note down orders for 82 Airbuses. It also delivered 62 new aircraft to customers. The details can be found below.

Ordered were:

• 1 A321neo by American Airlines
• 3 A320neos by Drukair
• 2 A321neos by Drukair
• 1 ACJ320neo by a Private customer
• 60 A321neos by Riyadh Air
• 15 A320neos by Undisclosed customers

Delivered were:

• 1 A320neo to Aegean Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Air Cairo
• 2 A220-300s to Air France
• 1 A220-300 to Air Lease Corporation
• 1 A320neo to Avianca
• 2 A220-300s to Breeze Airways
• 1 A321neo to Cathay Pacific
• 2 A321neos to Cebu Pacific
• 1 A320neo to China Eastern Airlines
• 2 A321neo to China Eastern Airlines
• 1 A319neo to China Southern Airlines
• 1 A321neo to China Southern Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Condor
• 1 A330-900 to Corsair
• 1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
• 3 A321neos to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A330-900 to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A320neo to easyJet
• 3 A321neos to easyJet
• 2 A321neos to Frontier Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Huaxia Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Iberia
• 3 A320neos to IndiGo
• 1 A321neo to IndiGo
• 1 A220-100 to ITA Airways
• 1 A220-300 to ITA Airways
• 1 A350-1000 to Japan Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Jet2
• 2 A321neos to Jetstar Airways
• 1 A321neo to Juneyao Air
• 1 A320neo to KM Malta Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Loong Air
• 1 A350-900 to Lufthansa
• 1 A320neo to Nouvelair Tunesie
• 1 A321neo to Pegasus Airlines
• 1 A330-200 to the Royal Saudi Air Force
• 1 A320neo to Sky Airline
• 1 A319neo to Tibet Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Transavia France
• 2 A321neos to Turkish Airlines
• 1 A321neo to United Airlines
• 2 A321neos to VietJet Air
• 1 A330-900 to Virgin Atlantic Airways
• 1 A321neo to Viva Aerobus
• 1 A321neo to Volaris
• 1 A321neo to Xiamen Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Wizz Air

In total in 2024, Airbus has now received a total of 749 orders and nineteen cancellations, leaving a net of 730 orders. The number of deliveries stands at 559 aircraft.

Airbus Updates No.4387

 

Saudi Arabia’s start-up airline places £6bn plane order in challenge to Gulf rivals

Riyadh Air has lodged a mammoth $8bn (£6bn) aircraft order as it ramps up efforts to take on established Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates.

The Saudi Arabian start-up airline, which is bankrolled by the Saudi state, has struck a deal to buy 60 A321neo short-haul jets from Airbus.

This is in addition to an earlier agreement for 39 Boeing wide-bodies announced last year, which includes the option for another 33.

The Airbus order marks the latest step in Riyadh Air’s bid to muscle in on a Gulf market dominated by some of the world’s biggest airlines, including Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Chief executive Tony Douglas said the Airbus jets will help “support economic growth” by establishing the comprehensive route network needed to transform the city of Riyadh into a global aviation hub.

The move to establish a new airline is a key element of Saudi Arabia’s bid to reduce its reliance on oil by diversifying into new sectors such as transport and tourism.

The airline, which plans to commence flights next year, is also understood to be pursuing an additional deal for more wide-body jets as it looks to expand its fleet further.

It is also exploring plans to enter the cargo market.

Riyadh Air has said it wants to offer flights to 100 global destinations by the end of the decade, which will support Saudi Arabia’s bid to attract 100m tourists a year.

Mr Douglas revealed his ambitions for the airline in an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year: “It’s no secret that for a long time, Saudi Arabia has lagged way behind in terms of global connectivity, and there’s no good example anywhere in the world of a sustainable, fast-growing economy that hasn’t got good connectivity.

“The Kingdom needs a new world-class national carrier that will be its own version of Emirates and Qatar Airways, and the answer to that is Riyadh Air.”

Meanwhile, the deal capped a positive day for Airbus, which also revealed that profits rose 39pc to hit €1.4bn in the three months to September.