Qatar Airways Eyes Big Widebody Order

Qatar Airways is entering a new era, as Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the new Group Chief Executive Officer, described in a recent interview.

Qatar Airways plans to enter a new era by purchasing many aircraft from Airbus or Boeing.

These reports follow an interview conducted with the new CEO and CNBC, an interview that made its way onto the Qatar Airways website as they unveiled their plans for a positive future.

The airline is currently communicating with Airbus and Boeing about purchasing a new widebody aircraft for future travel.

While the aircraft type is not spefified, the likely candidates would be the larger widebodies of the A350 and 777X series from Airbus or Boeing, respectively.

Qatar Airways flies the Boeing 787 series, and while it is deemed an adequate aircraft for specific services, the larger widebodies aforementioned are considered more helpful for this order.

Currently, the airline is looking towards 100 or 150 units. The final amount is subject to change, with contracts playing a role and the associated deals. The unit number comes following a report by Bloomberg News, who know people familiar with the matter.

The Race To Purchase Aircraft

For large airlines that have the ability to purchase in advance committing to aircraft now is proving to be essential.

Aircraft manufacutuers have long been warning of sold out aircraft lines through the 2030s which as a result mean airlines won’t always be able to have aircraft when they require them.

For Qatar Airways, an order for 100 plus widebody jets would ensure deliveries through the 2030s and allow them to meet any potential demand increases that would be present.

Additionally, purchasing this amount this far in advance isn’t something every airline is able to do, therefore, the Group would see it well positioned looking into the future to adequately battle competition.