New Boeing 787 Operator: Riyadh Air Makes Debut With Flight To Heathrow

As one of the world’s most popular widebody aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has over 80 operators and has now added another one in Riyadh Air. The Saudi Arabian state-owned carrier marked its commercial debut with a flight from Riyadh (RUH) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Sunday using its technical spare aircraft, a former Oman Air Boeing 787-9.

With a large orderbook that could see the airline operating almost 200 aircraft by the next decade, the 787 Dreamliner will comprise a core part of Riyadh Air’s long-haul capacity. It could eventually fly over 70 Dreamliners, which would put it among the world’s largest operators of the Boeing twinjet.

First Riyadh Air Flight Touches Down At London Heathrow

Credit: Riyadh Air

The Saudi airline’s inaugural flight departed Riyadh at 03:26 local time, landing in London at 07:14 following a flight time of almost seven hours. The flight was operated by the airline’s only aircraft, a former Oman Air Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (HZ-RXX) named Jamila, which is Arabic for “the beautiful one.”

Sunday’s flight was more of a soft launch for Riyadh Air, as its own customized 787 Dreamliners are due for delivery later this year. The 787 it currently flies has been used as a technical aircraft for crew training and certification flights since the beginning of 2025. As it stands, these flights are not bookable to the public, with the inaugural flight carrying an unspecified number of Riyadh Air and Public Investment Fund (PIF) employees.

These flights to London will ensure the carrier complies with Heathrow’s slot requirements, which require 80% utilization. Riyadh Air acquired its highly lucrative slots in Heathrow through the bmi remedy process following British Airways’ takeover of bmi in 2012, freeing up BA slots on select routes.

Where Riyadh Air Will Fly Its 787 Dreamliners

Credit: Shutterstock

For the time being, Riyadh Air plans to operate flights to London on a daily basis as its first deliveries start rolling in. Having initially hoped to induct eight 787-9s into its fleet by the end of 2025, Riyadh Air has halved this to four due to issues at Boeing. Its first purpose-built 787-9 rolled out of the paint shop last month, while its second airframe is being finished imminently.

As soon as the first deliveries take place, the next destination on the cards is Dubai International Airport (DBX). Riyadh Air will deploy HZ-RXX to Dubai, while the new 787-9 with Riyadh Air’s custom cabin will begin flying to London. As for its future network, new European cities will be added in early 2026, and the carrier is eyeing up over 100 destinations before 2030.

As Simple Flying reported in January, delays with 787 deliveries had forced Riyadh Air to push back its inaugural flight until late 2025. The airline took delivery of its only 787-9 in the same month before obtaining its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in April. It has placed a total of 39 firm orders for the 787-9, along with options for 33 more.

Leading 787 Dreamliner Operators

Credit: Shutterstock

Riyadh Air’s significant commitment to the 787 Dreamliner is all the more remarkable given that it holds a massive orderbook with Airbus too. This includes orders for 60 Airbus A320neos for its short and medium-haul fleet, alongside up to 50 Airbus A350 widebodies that will complement its Dreamliner fleet and open up ultra-long-haul routes.

With 72 Dreamliners, Riyadh Air would rank as the world’s third-largest 787 operator, behind All Nippon Airways (ANA) and United Airlines. However, Qatar Airways is on track to fly up to 130 Dreamliners in the coming years, which would make it the world’s biggest operator.

Boeing has secured over 2,200 firm orders for the 787 Dreamliner and still has over 1,000 aircraft on backlog. While the larger 777X is set to debut in the next couple of years, Boeing still sees significant demand for its efficient 787 twinjet. In fact, 2025 has been one of the 787’s best-selling years with over 320 firm orders so far.