Riyadh Air’s first operational Boeing 787-9 performed its maiden flight in the Saudi carrier’s livery, between Riyadh-King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Saudi Arabia, and Istanbul (IST) Turkey.
This aircraft (registration HZ-RXX) was previously operated by Oman Air. Its main purpose is to perform crew training and familiarization flights as well as to as to support the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC), as the new Saudi carrier prepares for its commercial launch at some point in Q3 2025.
It is not clear whether this was the actual purpose of the 4-hour flight between Riyadh and Istanbul or whether the aircraft is to undergo some sort of technical procedure in Turkey.
Riyadh Air’s test aircraft arrived in Saudi Arabia on January 15, 2025, and it is not part of the carrier’s order for 72 factory-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. It is also widely anticipated that Riyadh Air will place an additional widebody order in Q1 2025.
In addition to training with a real aircraft, Riyadh Air also announced on January 27, 2025, that it had secured an operational certificate from the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia (GACA) to use an advanced Boeing 787-9 RX7000 full flight simulator to train its pilots.
AeroTime contacted Riyadh Air for further comment.