- Riyadh Air on Wednesday signed a contract for 60 Airbus A321neo aircraft.
- Reportedly, after buying the 787 Dreamliner, he decided on narrow-body Boeing 737 Max jets.
- The support for Airbus comes at a time of testing by Boeing.
Riyadh Air announced an order for 60 A321neo jets from Airbus on Wednesday.
The order from the airline, which is due to start flying next year, comes after months of speculation over which plane maker the Saudis would choose for their narrow-body jets.
Last year, Riyadh Air went with Boeing for its widebody fleet, signing an order for up to 72 of its 787 Dreamliners.
In November last year, reports suggested that Riyadh Air was about to place another large order with Boeing for 100 737 Max aircraft. However, Dubai Air Show passed without such notice.
Boeing’s troubles worsened two months later when an Alaska Airlines 737 Max lost the door plug in the air. It prompted regulatory scrutiny of the aircraft manufacturer’s quality control processes, while customer frustration led to ousting its CEO.
Riyadh Air also ordered dozens of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, pictured at the Dubai Air Show. Pete Syme/Business Insider
Boeing Production of the 737 Max was limited since the January incident, bringing the total backlog of commercial jets to 5,400.
The Airbus backlog is even larger at around 8,000, mostly made up of jets from the A320 family. The aircraft manufacturer and Riyadh Air did not provide an expected delivery date for the 60 A321neos.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told Reuters in May that the narrow-body order had been delayed because he was concerned about negative media coverage that emerged soon after the November Dubai air show.
“The last thing I want to do is present my good news and have it in the context of things happening elsewhere that are not so positive,” he said. “Airbus cannot deliver on time [or] Boeing has some technical problem.”
Wednesday’s order is another boost for arch-rival Boeing and comes just hours before Airbus reports its third-quarter results.
Boeing posted a $6.1 billion loss in the latest quarter and is now in its sixth week battling a union strike, planned layoffs and further delays to its much-anticipated 777X plane.