Qatar Airways Places Huge Boeing Aircraft Order, For Up To 210 Jets

Qatar Airways has just announced the details of a massive aircraft order with Boeing…

Qatar Airways’ huge Boeing wide body aircraft order

Qatar Airways has placed its largest aircraft order in history, exclusively for Boeing aircraft. Specifically, the Doha-based airline placed a firm order for 160 jets, with options for an additional 50 jets. This includes a firm order for 130 787s (including 787-9s and 787-10s), plus a firm order for 30 777-9s. Then the option for 50 additional jets is for either of the aircraft types. The delivery timeline for these aircraft hasn’t yet been revealed.

This order was revealed today at a signing ceremony between Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. Witnessing the signing was US President Donald Trump and Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as this happened during Trump’s Middle East visit.

Here’s how Qatar Airways’ CEO describes this aircraft order:

“We are happy to announce our agreement with Boeing and our partnership in the largest widebody aircraft order in Boeing’s history and the biggest aircraft order in our history. This is a critical next step for Qatar Airways on our path as we invest in the cleanest, youngest and most efficient fleet in global aviation. This is so we can meet the strong demand in the airline as we seamlessly connect passengers to the world better than anyone”

“After two consecutive years of record-breaking commercial performance and with this historic Boeing aircraft order – we’re not simply chasing scale; we’re building strength that will allow us to continue to deliver our unmatched products and customer experiences. We thank our partners at Boeing for answering the call and look forward to a future of continued smart growth together.”

As you can see, this is the largest aircraft order in Qatar Airways’ history, and the largest wide body aircraft order in Boeing’s history. However, unlike what Trump claimed, it’s not Boeing’s largest order ever, and it’s also not worth $200 billion (I simply mention this because a lot of media reports have been making those claims).

Of course we’re seeing this order politicized, with some people suggesting that Trump deserves credit for the order. Personally, I think that’s a bit of a stretch, and that this order would’ve happened regardless of who was president. After all, this has been in the works for quite some time.

Just as we shouldn’t give Biden credit for Air India’s historic aircraft order (or for 2023 seeing the most Boeing orders in nearly a decade), we also don’t give Trump credit for a routine fleet renewal project. I’ll spare you the jokes about Qatar gifting Trump a $400 million jet. Regardless, congrats to Al Meer and Ortberg!

How the 777X & 787 fits into Qatar Airways’ fleet

As mentioned above, the firm order is for 130 787s and 30 777Xs. While the 787 has been in service for a long time, the 777X hasn’t yet been certified, and current estimates are that the plane will start commercial service in 2026. However, that timeline has been pushed back for six years, so it’s anyone’s guess how that evolves.

For context, Qatar Airways’ passenger fleet currently consists of around 220 aircraft, with aircraft variants being all over the place. Qatar Airways’ fleet planning has been in disarray in recent years, due to a combination of Boeing struggling with getting new aircraft certified, plus the dispute with Airbus from several years back (which has since been resolved).

In addition to the aircraft already in its fleet, Qatar Airways also has 163 passenger jets on order (before today’s order), though many of these are narrow body aircraft. These orders are comprised of:

• 40 Airbus A321neos and 10 Airbus A321LRs
• 18 Airbus A350-1000s
• 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10s
• 60 Boeing 777-9s
• 10 Boeing 787-9s

Just to look at the current state of Qatar Airways’ fleet renewal:

• Qatar Airways’ narrow body fleet currently consists of 28 Airbus A320s, and those will be replaced by A321neos and maybe 737 MAX 10s; that fleet will grow considerably, but it will take time, and rumor has it that the MAX order may be canceled as part of the larger Boeing order
• Qatar Airways has 58 Airbus A350 family aircraft, and this seems to be the carrier’s favorite aircraft, which will be flying for years to come
• Qatar Airways has 51 Boeing 787s, though they’re a mixed bag, with the majority being 787-8s that are already an average of 10 years old
• Qatar Airways has 64 Boeing 777s, and those will eventually be retired, and replaced by newer generation aircraft, including the 777X
• Qatar Airways has eight Airbus A380s, which the airline initially intended to retire, but they were brought back due to A350 issues, plus delays with 777X certification

So I can totally see how Qatar Airways needs a lot of new jets. While narrow body fleet renewal is taken care of, Qatar Airways needs more jets to replace existing 777s, A380s, and eventually the older 787-8s.

At some point in the future, the 777X will be Qatar Airways’ flagship aircraft, and I’d expect for it to have the carrier’s new first class as well. I imagine Qatar Airways can get a good deal on these planes, and for that matter, get flexible terms, given the headwinds with certification.

What I’m most curious about is what the breakdown is between 787-9s and 787-10s. The 787-10 variant seems very well suited for the airline, given its higher capacity and sufficient range.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways has just placed a large wide body aircraft order with Boeing, with 160 firm orders plus 50 options. Of the 160 firm orders, 130 are for the 787, and 30 are for the 777X. Then the 50 options are for either jet. It’s expected that the Dreamliner order will include both the 787-9 and 787-10 variant, though the breakdown isn’t yet known.

Congrats to Qatar Airways and Boeing!

What do you make of Qatar Airways’ Boeing aircraft order?