Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new carrier, took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on January 13, but the aircraft will have a different mission.
According to the airline, it will be used as a technical spare and for training crew and ground staff.
The plan is for the 787 to facilitate the obtaining of the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) with the General Authority of Civil Aviation, which is expected this year.
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The widebody, registered HZ-RXX, which was flown by Oman Air, received the eye-catching livery and landed at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Monday.
One important difference is that the Dreamliner jet will not yet receive a new main cabin designed for the 72 aircraft ordered by Riyadh Air.
Demonstration aircraft
For the more attentive, the delivery of this Boeing 787 sounds strange since Riyadh Air released another aircraft with its livery, registration N8572C.
This Boeing 787-9 was a demonstration aircraft for the m
anufacturer and received a previous paint scheme from Riyadh Air in June 2023 for marketing purposes.
Last October, the aircraft was delivered by AerCap, its owner, to TAAG, of Angola, where it received the registration D2-TEQ.
Riyadh Air plans to debut its revenue flights by the end of the year and in the future serve around 100 global destinations. The fleet will consist of 60 Airbus A321neo in addition to 72 Boeing 787-9.
