Riyadh Air has shared the first images of its first indigo-colored Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as it emerged from Boeingโs paint facility in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.ย
Inspired by spring desert blooms and Arabic calligraphy, the striking indigo-and-lavender design complements Riyadh Airโs pearlescent white livery. It is anticipated that every tenth aircraft in the Riyadh Air fleet will feature the indigo livery, creating a distinctive marker of the airlineโs growth. The aircraft will be delivered in the near future and will soon be visible at one of the 15 global airports served by the airline.
Today, October 26, 2025, marked a milestone for Saudi Arabiaโs new national carrier:ย Riyadh Air completed its inaugural passenger service to London Heathrow on October 26, 2025.
The flight, designatedย RX401, departedย Riyadh King Khalid International Airportย at 3:26 a.m. local time and landed atย London Heathrowย six hours and 48 minutes later. The aircraft used was aย Boeing 787โ9 Dreamliner (HZ-RXX), nicknamedย Jamila (โbeautifulโ in Arabic). This jet has been serving as Riyadh Airโs technical spare and training aircraft since early 2025, leased from Oman Air while the airline awaits delivery of its own new fleet.
Photo: Riyadh Air
For this inaugural service, the passenger list was limited to Riyadh Air employees, staff from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) โ the Saudi sovereign wealth fund backing the airline โ and invited partners and guests. The airline has stated that this โinsidersโonlyโ approach will continue for the next few flights as it fineโtunes operations before opening to the general public.
The London route is the first step in Riyadh Airโs ambitious plan to connect Riyadh to more than 100 destinations by 2030, in line with Saudi Arabiaโs Vision 2030 strategy. Daily service to Heathrow will be followed by the launch of flights to Dubai (DXB) in the coming weeks.
This inaugural flight also comes after Riyadh Air secured itsย Air Operator Certificate (AOC)ย in April 2025, and it represents the airlineโs official entry into the global market. The carrier has major fleet orders in place โ includingย 72 Boeing 787s, 60 Airbus A321neos, and up to 50 Airbus A350sย โ with the first brandโnew aircraft expected to arrive before the end of 2025.
In a hugely positive move, Riyadh Air is preparing for the arrival of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The leased aircraft, painted in the airlineโs resplendent pearl livery and set to be used as a technical spare and for training purposes, will be unveiled at the airlineโs home airport at Riyadhโs King Khalid International Airport.
With the airlineโs highly anticipated cabin interiors set to be revealed soon, this aircraft will not feature the new cabin but does have a high-specification interior to meet guests’ expectations when flying with a world-class modern airline.
This aircraft is separate from the original Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft order of 72 aircraft and will be utilized over the coming months for training purposes. It will continue the process of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with the General Authority of Civil Aviation before operating as Riyadh Airโs technical spare to allow operations to commence later in 2025.
The opportunity to lease this plane demonstrates the innovative nature of Riyadh Air to create solutions and start serving the people of Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025.
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