Riyadh Air plans new orders ahead of 2025 take-off: CEO

Riyadh Air plans new orders ahead of 2025 take-off: CEO

Saudi Arabia’s new national airline plans more aircraft orders as it prepares to operate its first flights in early 2025, its CEO told AFP on Wednesday.The carrier, Riyadh Air, was officially unveiled on Sunday, and on Tuesday announced an agreement to purchase 39 Boeing Dreamliners, with options for 33 more jets.Those acquisitions are part of a bigger deal - which could reach as many as 121 planes with options - that also involves the Kingdom’s other national carrier, Jeddah-based Saudia.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The White House said the value of the deal could reach $37 billion. It is the fifth largest deal by value in Boeing’s history.“These aircraft are being assembled in the United States of America and they’ll be delivered to us with the kind of timetable that allows us to prepare to go into service in early 2025,” CEO Tony Douglas, the former head of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, told AFP.“It will be added to with further orders during the course of this year, and that will give us a sizeable fleet that will allow us to connect to over 100 different destinations,” he said.Asked about the possibility of