Qatar Airways May Cancel Boeing 737-10 Orders and Choose a Smaller Model: Report
Qatar Airways is thinking about removing the Boeing 737-10 model from its order because it no longer fits its needs, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday.
Boeing order
The airline had ordered 25 Boeing 737-10 planes, but now it is considering switching to the smaller 737-8 models instead. Qatar Airways may give these planes to its partners, like RwandAir and Virgin Australia, which already use the 737-8.
Qatar Airways made the order for the 737s in 2022, after having issues with Airbus, including canceling an order for 50 A321 jets due to delivery delays and other problems. This led the airline to choose Boeing for its narrowbody aircraft at that time. Now, Qatar Airways wants to adjust its order to better meet its needs and align with its partners by choosing the 737-8 model.
Key Background
In March, Qatar Airways, based in Doha, planned to buy 100 to 150 large aircraft to grow its fleet. The airline was in early talks with Boeing and Airbus to negotiate privately.
Bloomberg reported that the airline might order either the Airbus A350 or Boeing 777X, but the exact mix of planes from the two manufacturers has not yet been decided.
Legal Dispute
Qatar Airways returned its fleet of Airbus A350 planes to service after settling a legal dispute with the manufacturer that lasted over a year.
In December 2021, Qatar Airways took Airbus to court in the UK over issues with surface damage on its A350 jets. The airline and Airbus had been in a long disagreement over problems like blistered paint and corrosion, which led to the grounding of 21 A350 planes by Qatar’s local regulator. Airbus denied there were any safety risks and the issue was resolved last year.
Big Number
Qatar Airways made a net profit of $1.7 billion (QAR 6.1 billion) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. This was the airline’s best financial performance in its 27-year history.
Published: 14th December 2024
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