Riyadh Air, Saudia announce big Boeing 787 order

NEW YORK: Riyadh Air and Saudia reached agreements to purchase 78 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes to support Saudi Arabia’s expanding aviation plans, Boeing announced Tuesday.

The order — which could reach as many as 121 planes with options — constitutes the fifth largest by commercial value in Boeing’s history.

The contracts are part of “a blueprint for economic and social reform that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world,” said Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.

While Boeing did not provide an estimate of the total value of the order, the White House said it could reach $37 billion.