Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) is reportedly considering announcing an order for 100 Boeing widebodies during US president Donald Trump's multi-country visit to the Middle East in mid-May.
The Doha-based carrier is putting the "final touches" on the widebody order, which includes options for additional aircraft, Bloomberg reported, citing people close to the deliberations. The airline declined to comment to ch-aviation on the matter.
Qatar Airways CEO Badr Al-Meer said in late April the carrier expected to announce the order "in three or four weeks", without giving any indication on whether the order would go to Boeing or Airbus. He noted at the time that the airline had previously issued a request for proposals (RFP) for new widebodies in order to get the best price.
The potential Boeing order would likely focus on widebodies only, as Al-Meer recently suggested that the narrowbody fleet would consolidate around the A321-200N type.
The carrier announced in June 2024 that it was in discussions with Airbus and Boeing for a major widebody order composed of A350 and B777X aircraft. At the Farnborough Air Show in the following July, it subsequently placed a firm order for an additional twenty B777-9s, on top of the forty passenger B777-9s and thirty-four B777-8Fs it had previously contracted for.
Qatar Airways' current widebody passenger fleet comprises four A330-200s, nine A330-300s, thirty-four A350-900s, twenty-four A350-1000s, ten A380-800s, seven B777-200LRs, fifty-seven B777-300ERs, thirty-one B787-8s, and twenty B787-9s. It has a further eighteen A350-1000s, sixty B777-9s, and ten B787-9s on order from the respective manufacturers.
Trump's visit to the Middle East comes as Boeing grapples with the effects of a tariff war between the US and China which has seen that country compel its airlines to refuse Boeing jets that were ready for delivery. The US president is due to meet with officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates during his visit, which begins on May 13.
