Riyadh Air unveils first fully painted Dreamliner

Saudi Arabia’s new Riyadh Air has unveiled its first livery.

The first of two expected designs, the airline called it a “perfect blend of cutting-edge technology and timeless elegance.” Riyadh Air painted the scheme on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, of which it has ordered up to 72.

According to Airways Magazine, Riyadh Air’s is one of the few liveries that is not painted on a white background. Many airlines use such white bases to reflect light off of the aircraft to prevent it from overheating.

Related News

Still, Air New Zealand has a special livery on a black background, Spirit Airlines paints its planes yellow, and AirAsia uses a red base, Airways Magazine noted.

Riyadh Air uses a purple background, perhaps closest to Australia’s Bonza or the United States’ Southwest, on its aircraft’s fuselage. The deep purple tapers to a lighter shade on the tail. The airline’s name is painted in both English and Arabic.

The Dreamliner that was painted, which uses registration N8572C, was previously painted in China Southern Airlines’ livery, according to data from FlightRadar24. This registration is likely dedicated to factory planes, as it has been used on other Dreamliners undergoing testing.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.