Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has dry-leased two B777-300(ER)s, previously operated by Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International), for what is presumed to be coverage for the absence of twenty A350s grounded by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority due to fuselage paint quality issues and their unclear implications for aircraft airworthiness.
A7-BOB (msn 36161), formerly B-KPL, was ferried from Hong Kong International to Doha Hamad International on November 4, 2021. It was briefly re-registered in Guernsey as 2-LPKB before acquiring its current Qatari registration. The aircraft began operating for Qatar Airways on December 3, 2021. Sistership B-KPM (msn 36159) was ferried to Doha on November 22, 2021, and has been re-registered in Guernsey as 2-BKPM. It has yet to be transferred to the Qatari register.
Both aircraft are owned by BOC Aviation, the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows.
Cathay Pacific operates another forty-six B777-300(ER)s, of which it owns 31 and leases another 15, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. More than half of the carrier's B777-300(ER)s is currently grounded as Hong Kong remains largely closed to international travel. In turn, Qatar Airways' in-house fleet comprised forty-eight B777-300(ER)s before the delivery of the two aforementioned jets.
Neither of the airlines responded to ch-aviation's query as to whether the two aircraft had been temporarily subleased by Qatar Airways or permanently transferred to the carrier.
Qatar Airways Group owns a 9.6% stake in Cathay Pacific. In the past, the Qatari carrier sub-leased A350-900s from LATAM Airlines Group, in which it also is a minority shareholder.
