Riyadh Air to announce narrowbody plane order in coming weeks - CEO | Reuters

Riyadh Air to announce narrowbody plane order in coming weeks - CEO | Reuters

Riyadh Air will announce a deal to buy a "sizeable" number of narrowbody aircraft in the coming weeks, the startup airline's chief executive said, as he helps build a second carrier for Saudi Arabia which is set for take-off in 2025.

Former Etihad Airways boss Tony Douglas was hired in March to head up Riyadh Air, owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. With 72 Boeing 787 widebody jets already provisionally ordered, Douglas said narrowbodies were next.

"We have concluded our narrowbody campaign," he said in an interview in London on Monday. "I think we will probably be announcing it within the coming weeks."

There is speculation an announcement could come at the Dubai Air Show from Nov. 13-17.

Douglas declined to say how many jets Riyadh Air would buy, but called the order "sizeable" and said the deal would be "a very, very clear signal of intent".