As part of its presence at the upcoming Paris Air Show 2025 being held at Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LBG) between June 16-22, 2025, it has been revealed that Airbus will be displaying an example of its A321LXR long-haul narrowbody in the livery of Riyadh Air, a recent customer for the type.
The aircraft, registered F-WWBZ, is one of the planemaker’s three A321XLR testbed/demonstrator aircraft and formerly wore the Airbus ‘flying xtra long range’ predominantly white color scheme, However, on June 8, 2025, the aircraft was rolled out of the manufacturer’s paint shop at its Hamburg-Finkenwerder (XFW) plant now wearing the pearl and purple livery of Riyadh Air, the Middle-Eastern startup airline due to commence scheduled services later in 2025.
In recent years, Airbus has often displayed its products at the major air shows globally in house colors, although the aircraft wearing customer liveries is also not uncommon. The Riyadh Air livery on F-WWBZ features a predominantly white forward fuselage with large billboard-style Riyadh Air titles across the window line. To the rear, the airline’s distinctive purple and lilac tail scheme appears, sweeping down the rear fuselage with the carrier’s stylized ‘circled R’ logo also displayed on the tail. The airline’s iconic eye mask design complements the look, encompassing the cockpit windows.
At the end of 2024, Riyadh Air became the type’s latest customer when it placed an initial order for 60 Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft, which was announced at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) 8th Edition Conference in Saudi Arabia. The deal was confirmed on October 30, 2024, in a signing between Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, and Christian Scherer, CEO of Commercial Aircraft of Airbus.
“This order will not only enable us to support economic growth in the aviation industry, it will also ensure Riyadh Air operates one of the most sustainable fleets in the industry and be instrumental in helping Saudi Arabia achieve its net-zero emissions goals,” said Douglas. ““This deal strongly reinforces the positive economic impact of Saudi Arabia’s newest airline on both a global and local scale and helps facilitate the fast-growing local aviation ecosystem,” he added.
“We are proud to welcome Riyadh Air as a new Airbus customer and to be a part of its exciting journey. The latest generation A321neo aircraft will bring exceptional efficiency to the airline’s operations and comfort to its passengers. We look forward to working together to support the incredible growth of Saudi aviation,” said Scherer.
Riyadh Air is coming
So far, with its outstanding orders for 60 Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft on order, plus 72 Boeing 787-9, the airline is already betting big on its future. Up until now, the airline has only had one aircraft painted in its full colors in the form of Boeing 787-9 registerd HZ-RXX and currebtly leased from Oman Air. The aircraft, named ‘Jamila’, meaning “the beautiful one”, is currently being utilized by the carrier for pilot and crew training and will serve as a technical spare aircraft once operational readiness is achieved.
The new Riyadh-based full-service airline, revealed on Monday, April 7, 2025, that it has finally received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the country’s aviation authorities. The carrier said at the time that it would now begin its final preparations to start regular scheduled passenger flights later in 2025.
In a statement issued by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the issuance of the AOC confirmed Riyadh Air’s full compliance with Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulations, international standards, and flight safety requirements under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
“This milestone follows GACA’s comprehensive audit of the airline’s technical and aircraft systems, operational readiness, equipment, and the qualifications of both flight and ground personnel. It affirms the Kingdom’s commitment to developing a world-class aviation sector aligned with the Saudi Aviation Strategy,” said the GACA statement.
A marketing win-win
The presentation of the first Airbus A321XLR in the airline’s distinctive livery at the forthcoming Paris Air Show 2025 is a win-win for both companies. For Airbus, it gives the opportunity to exhibit one of its aircraft in the colors of a newly-acquired customer on one of its planes, while for Riyadh Air, the high-profile appearance at Paris provides an excellent stage on which the next level of publicity before the official commencement of services can be launched.
It is understood that the aircraft concerned will be retained by Airbus after the Paris Air Show 2025 and will not form part of the Riyadh Air order.
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