Boeing and Airbus facing off to win 80-aircraft order for new Saudi airline, report says

Boeing and Airbus facing off to win 80-aircraft order for new Saudi airline, report says

Saudi Arabia is seeking planes for a brand new airline and tapping up rivals Boeing and Airbus to provide them, per a report. The country's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing to secure orders for as many as 80 new planes for the airline, reported. It cited unnamed sources familiar with the dealings. Per the report, PIF wants to order 40 planes, and take out options on a similar number. The potential order includes both single-aisle and wide-body planes, per Bloomberg. Saudia Arabia's capital Riyadh has ambitious plans to establish the country as a global aviation hub, per Bloomberg. The country as a whole is attempting to diversify its economy and become less dependent on oil. The plans, dubbed , include establishing a second national carrier. announced the plans in June 2021, , but did not provide a date or name. In September 2022, reported the airline would be named RIA and could use Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. It's not clear whether the order reported by Bloomberg will be exclusive to one company, or split between the two. Boeing declined to comment to Insider. Airbus and PIF did not immediately respond to Insider's request