Riyadh Air’s stunning new 787 business class

All-suites, all-stunning: that’s the formula behind Riyadh Air’s new Boeing 787 business class, which airline CEO Tony Douglas likens to a Mercedes-Maybach with ‘next-level refinement’ above the best of its rivals.

Boot-strapped by a $50bn war chest from the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and based at its booming capital city, Riyadh Air expects to begin flying in late 2025.

It’ll be a modest start, with just two of as many as 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners flying to two as-yet-unnamed European cities – but with one plane per month arriving from the start of 2026, the Gulf airline aims to connect more than 100 destinations by 2030.

And now we have our first look at Riyadh Air’s highly anticipated 787 business class which will crown the fleet of indigo-hued Dreamliners.

Riyadh Air's 787 business class.

28 private suites, each with a sliding door and framed by a 52” (1.3m) wall, comprise Riyadh Air’s 787 business class cabin.

These are based on the Safran Unity platform – the same chosen by airlines such as Qantas, Japan Airlines and Air India – but finished with a degree of attention to detail which makes this the most impressive Unity variant we’ve seen to date.

Topping that off are four over-sized Business Elite suites perched in the first row of Riyadh Air’s 787 business class cabin.

Riyadh Air's 787 Business Elite suite.

They’re a stand-in for first class, which won’t appear on the Dreamliners but is slated for an additional fleet of either Airbus A350-1000 or Boeing 777X jets.

Read: Riyadh Air plans ‘game-changing’ first class 

Riyadh Air’s ‘Maybach’ business class

Speaking with Executive Traveller in an Australian exclusive interview ahead of this weekend’s reveal of Riyadh Air’s 787 cabins, suites and seats at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, boss Douglas believes the airline will elevate business class to an entirely new level.

“What you can expect to see in our business class is probably a step in between most airline’s business and first class.”

“And, I say this with humility, what you would expect to receive by way of service and amenity in Business Elite will be at the standard of the best of first class.”

Riyadh Air's 787 business class.

Douglas draws on an automative comparison for Riyadh Air’s 787 business class, casting standard business class offerings of other airlines as an S-Class Mercedes and Riyadh’s 787 Business as the more premium Maybach.

“They’re actually the same chassis, the same platform, but it’s what they do with the Maybach that elevates from a design point of view.”

Riyadh Air's 787 business class.

“The Maybach is finished to a different level, which presents the product in terms of the internal experience in a more refined way.”

“So what we’re looking to do, with an obsessional attention to detail with guest experience, is to bring that next level of refinement through how we make you feel.”

Riyadh Air’s 787 business class

Each of Riyadh Air’s 22”-wide (56cm) seats convert into a 78” (1.98m) fully flat bed – and getting to sleep’s not likely to be an issue.

In addition to a special ‘topper’ layer built into the seat padding, Riyadh Air’s business class bedding kit will include a proper mattress, a duvet and a pair of pyjamas, and perhaps an innovative pillow that will be a first for any airline.

Large bright 4K OLED screens – from 22” in Business to a massive 32” in Business Elite – will serve up a wealth of entertainment along with live TV news and sport channels, which can also be streamed to a passenger’s own device, with Bluetooth audio beamed to the passenger’s headphones or earbuds.

Riyadh Air's 787 business class.

And the show-stopper? Inside the headrest of each business class seat is a pair of finely-tuned speakers from high-end French audio house Devialet.

These let you enjoy movies, TV shows and music without donning headphones or earbuds, yet without any sound ‘leakage’ which may annoy the passenger next to you.

Perhaps most impressive is the spatial audio technology which creates immersive ‘virtual surround sound’ in three-dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener.

If that’s all a bit too much high-tech trickery, each passengers will find a pair of Devialet noise-cancelling headphones at their seat.

Riyadh Air's 787 business class.

Each passenger can plug into AC or USB power (with 1 USB-A and two USB-C outlets).

Also on tap will be ‘superfast’ free WiFi through the Viasat satellite network, at speeds which should suitable for everything from email and Web browsing to streaming high-definition content and even light gaming (provided the lag is not an issue in multi-player scenarios).

But something you’d expect to see – wireless device charging – is missing from Riyadh Air’s business class.

Douglas says this is each passenger will be able to use the Riyadh Air app on their smartphone as a control centre for the seat, IFE system, in-suite lighting and more.

And with a large potion of passenger being ‘digital natives’, as the airline styles itself, there’s a belief that few passengers will leave their phone parked on the charging spot for long. 

Riyadh Air’s 787 Business Elite

Beyond the 24 standard Business suites, each of the four Business Elite suites in row 1 includes a companion bench seat so that travellers can share anything from a meal to a game of cards.

Riyadh Air's 787 Business Elite suite.

Picking up a popular ‘row 1’ trend, the two centre Business Elite suites can convert into a double bed.

Riyadh Air's 787 Business Elite suite.

There’ll also be additional Business Elite perks beyond the extra space and larger screen.

“There will be differentiation between the Elite service and the regular Business,” Douglas tells Executive Traveller, “with a range of amenities that we will announce separately.”

That cosseting will come at an additional cost. “There will be a premium, that goes without saying,” Douglas admits, although he won’t be drawn on what the Business Elite surcharge would be.