Riyadh Air is still busy with a sales campaign for narrowbody aircraft and will not make any order announcements at this week’s Paris Airshow. When the start-up carrier of Saudi Arabia will be ready and how many aircraft it intends to order is something that CEO Tony Douglas is unwilling to share right now. But more updates about the new airline will come. Riyadh Air will tease and reveal in the next two years.
Douglas held a media briefing in a plush hotel at Place de la Concorde in Paris on the eve of the airshow, which kicks off officially on Monday morning. After announcing the launch of Riyadh Air on March 12 and the 787 order for 72 aircraft including options, Douglas has not spoken to that many international aviation reporters as of Sunday evening.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.
