(CNN) — The White House announced, on Tuesday, that Boeing has completed two deals with Saudi Arabia to manufacture up to 121 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the deals with Saudi Arabia – one to launch a new airline and the other to expand an existing fleet – are worth an estimated $37 billion.
The White House said the recent deals with Saudi Arabia support more than 140,000 American jobs.
“Our administration looks forward to working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all partners in the Middle East to support a more prosperous, secure, and integrated region, ultimately benefiting the American people,” Jean-Pierre added.
The White House spokeswoman’s statement indicated that “today’s announcement includes Boeing and General Electric launching new international airlines in Saudi Arabia, as well as supporting the construction of a new international airport.”
Earlier Sunday, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Investment Fund, announced the establishment of the fund a new national carrier called “Riyadh Airlines”, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
And the official Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel reported, on Tuesday, that an agreement was signed for Riyadh Airlines to order a fleet of 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
The channel stated that “the agreement between Riyadh Airlines and Boeing includes providing the new air carrier with 39 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with the possibility of purchasing an additional 33 aircraft.”
The new company is working to “connect Riyadh to more than 100 global destinations” by 2030, SPA reported on Sunday. In addition to contributing to the growth of the Kingdom’s non-oil gross domestic product, amounting to 75 billion riyals (about 20 billion dollars), and creating more than 200,000 job opportunities.
