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Riyadh Air leases Boeing jet for training; no passenger service planned

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Riyadh Air leases Boeing jet for training; no passenger service planned
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A Riyadh Air Boeing 787-9 has been seen with the airline's new white livery. This aircraft, however, will not be used for regular passenger services. Instead, it will serve as a technical spare.

Riyadh Air plans to start flights later this year and expects to receive its first new aircraft from Boeing by late Q2 or early Q3. To facilitate operations, the airline has decided to temporarily lease a Boeing 787-9 from Oman Air.

"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," stated Riyadh Air.

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The primary purpose of this leased aircraft is for non-passenger tasks such as pilot training and continuing the air operator certificate process. It may also be used for charter flights, like transporting its sponsored soccer team, Atlético de Madrid. The airline emphasizes that it is not intended for passenger flights but could serve as a substitute if necessary due to technical issues with one of their new Boeing 787s.

Riyadh Air noted that their new cabin is not installed on this leased aircraft, which retains its existing cabin configuration. Simple Flying reports that the aircraft comes from Oman Air's fleet and identifies it as A4O-SD, currently located in Abu Dhabi after arriving from Shanghai Pudong Airport.

The cabin layout includes 30 business class seats arranged in five rows of 2-2-2 suites with direct aisle access through staggering and 258 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 arrangement. These are Collins Aerospace Apex suites in business class and Collins-manufactured seats in economy class.

Before launching services, Riyadh Air must introduce its seating concept, likely featuring a bespoke business class product akin to Qatar Airways' QSuite. Additionally, they await delivery of their first two owned Boeing 787-9s expected mid-2025.

A previously showcased purple-liveried Boeing 787 is not part of Riyadh Air's operational fleet but serves promotional purposes only.

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