Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas announced on Monday that the airline is ready to purchase Boeing jets that were undeliverable to Chinese carriers due to the escalating trade war between the United States and China.
Boeing is considering reselling potentially dozens of aircraft that were returned to the U.S. because of Chinese tariffs. The manufacturer recently took back the third such aircraft. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had also criticized the Chinese government following the delivery crisis.
Speaking to Reuters during the Arabian Travel Market conference, Douglas said, “We made it very clear to Boeing: if such a situation arises — and the key word here is ‘if’ — we would gladly take all of them.”
In a rare public statement during an analyst call last week, Boeing acknowledged the possibility of reselling these jets, noting that there would be no shortage of buyers in a tight aircraft market.
Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air has placed significant orders with both Boeing and Airbus as it prepares to launch operations. In October, the airline ordered 60 single-aisle A321 family aircraft from Airbus and, in March 2023, up to 72 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Douglas stated that they do not expect the current delivery delays from either manufacturer to be resolved in the near future.
He added that macroeconomic uncertainties have not impacted travel demand to Riyadh and revealed that the airline will announce a new widebody aircraft order this summer.
Aiming to begin operations in the last quarter of the year, Riyadh Air has so far hired 500 employees and plans to increase that number to 1,000 within the next 9 to 12 months. Pilot and cabin crew recruitment will continue gradually as aircraft deliveries begin.
