Saudia will start flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the nation of its birth for the first time this year. Starting in July, the Saudi Arabian carrier will begin utilizing its 298-seat Boeing 787-9s on its route from Jeddah Airport (JED) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The 14-hour flight is currently operated up to four times weekly using a 290-seat Boeing 777-300ER.

The change of aircraft represents a marginal increase in capacity but a shift from a three- to a two-class layout on a route that has less demand for premium seating. It is also a sign of things to come, as Saudia placed a second order for 787s back in 2023, and is set to have 60 Dreamliners in service within a few years. This will see the 787 overtake the 777s as the backbone of the carrier’s long-haul fleet, driving its next phase of network expansion.

Shifting To Greater Capacity, Less Premium

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Saudia first began flying to Washington DC in the late 1980s, and recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of a route that has flourished alongside the strengthening relations between Saudi Arabia and the US. Khaled Alehedeb, regional manager for North America, said during the celebrations at Washington Dulles Airport that the US capital has long been a cornerstone of Saudia’s international network:

“Since the inauguration of flights to Washington, Saudia’s air connectivity has played a key role in enhancing relations between the two nations and reinforcing vital sectors, including business, tourism, and finance.”

The airline operates to Washington DC from both Riyadh and Jeddah, with the latter having a westbound block time of 14 hours for the 6,580 mile (10,590 km) flight. The route is currently operated using the flagship of the Saudia fleet, the 3-class Boeing 777-300ER. The carrier has multiple configurations for its 777 fleet, but the 290-seat “77Z” layout used on the JED-IAD route is the only aircraft in the fleet to have a First Class. This comprises twelve private suites based on the Collins Aerospace Oasis platform, configured 1-2-1.

By contrast, the 787-9 that will be taking over the route from July has a higher seat count at 298, but only business and economy classes. The change is likely because the routes from Jeddah are generally less premium compared to those from Riyadh Airport (RUH). Looking at Cirium data, the average RUH-IAD one-way fare last year was $2,285, compared to $833 for JED-IAD. This reflects the premium government and corporate travel between the two capitals, versus the traffic to Jeddah which is the primary entry point for pilgrims traveling to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to perform the Hajj.

Saudia’s North American Network

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When the 787-9 takes over the JED-IAD route, it will be Saudia’s first Dreamliner service to the US, but not to North America. The carrier currently flies its long-standing service to Toronto Pearson International Airport five times weekly using a 787-9. Outside the two routes to IAD, Saudia also flies to New York JFK Airport from both Jeddah and Riyadh, as well as a thrice-weekly service from Jeddah to Los Angeles International Airport. This is one of the Top 20 longest nonstop flights in the world, with an average westbound flight time of 16 hours and 45 minutes.

Saudia is currently the only carrier to fly between the US and Saudi Arabia, but that will change later this year. Delta Air Lines is set to inaugurate a new route to Riyadh from its megahub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in October using its Airbus A350-900s. This route is designed not only to link with Saudia, a fellow SkyTeam member, but also to build on the partnership that Delta signed with Riyadh Air in 2024.

Riyadh Air is expected to launch its first flights to the US in late 2026 or early 2027, pending the arrival of the 787-9s that it has on order. When it does so, Delta’s hubs in Atlanta and New York will undoubtedly be the first key gateways that it targets. There is also speculation that Saudia has plans to launch a nonstop service from Jeddah to Atlanta once it starts taking delivery of its next tranche of 787-9s.

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Boeing 787: The Backbone Of Saudia’s Future Expansion

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Saudia currently operates a fleet of 21 Dreamliners, made up of 13 787-9s and eight of the higher capacity, 357-seat Boeing 787-10. Both types have a two-class layout as follows:

• Business: 24 seats for both -9 and -10. These are Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and arranged in a reverse-herringbone pattern. Each seat has a width of 21″, a row pitch of 47″, and converts into a fully-flat bed.
• Economy: 274 seats for the -9 and 333 seats for the -10. These are Collins Aerospace Pinnacle seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration across two cabins. Each seat has a width of 17″, a row pitch of 32″, and a recline of 3″.

Saudia will be expanding its 787 fleet considerably in the coming years, having placed an order for 39 additional 787s back in 2023 when the creation of Riyadh Air was announced and its first 787 orders placed. That order is currently expected to be made up of 18 787-9s and 21 787-10s, although that could change based on Saudia’s expansion plans and its chosen mix of long-haul (787-9) and higher capacity medium-haul (787-10) routes.

What is certain is that with a fleet of 60 787s, the Dreamliner is set to eclipse the 777 as Saudia’s most-used widebody, and will become the backbone of the carrier’s ambitious expansion plans going into the next decade.