Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) retired its last A321-200 by the end of 2022 and has since transferred the aircraft for conversion into a freighter, ch-aviation research has revealed.
A7-AID (msn 4530) operated its last revenue flight on behalf of the Qatari carrier on December 27, 2022, flying from Sharjah to Doha Hamad International, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. It was ferried from Doha to Ostrava on February 3, 2023, returned to Doha on February 13, and then was ferried via Bucharest Henri Coanda to Toulouse Francazal on February 21. The 12.4-year-old aircraft was the last of twelve A321-200s once operated by Qatar Airways.
The aircraft will re-enter service as a freighter with Spring as one of four A321-200(P2F)s operated on behalf of door-to-door delivery company Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. It already sports traces of Yamato-branded livery. Spring is scheduled to begin Yamato operations in April 2024.
Following the retirement of the A321s, Qatar Airways' narrowbody fleet currently consists solely of twenty-nine A320-200s. The airline is due to shortly add nine B737-8s and has twenty-five B737-10s on order from Boeing, as well as fifty A321-200Ns from Airbus.
