Regional airliners brace for uncertainty, eye opportunities: Major airlines in the Middle East are bracing for the impact of the ongoing global trade war, but some are remaining cautiously optimistic as they eye opportunities arising from the shifting landscape. Global trade uncertainty is expected to still cast its shadow through supply chain disruptions and delayed IPO plans.

Etihad remains cautiously confident: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has yet to see any fallout from US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, CEO Antonoaldo Neves told Reuters, although he added that it is too soon to judge the full impact. Despite trade volatility, the carrier continues to record stable seat occupancy rates and expects to “see more Europeans coming” to the region, Neves added.

But we’re yet to see progress on Etihad’s IPO plan, which were reported last month to be postponed to after Eid al Fitr amid speculations on the timing. The company is ready for the move, but a decision from the shareholders is yet to be made, Neves told Reuters. Etihad kicked off a roadshow earlier in February to feel out investors for the 20% offering sale.

Qatar and Etihad keep expansion plans unchanged: Both Qatar Airways and Etihad indicated they’re expecting to see their fleets expand in accordance with expectations. Some 22 aircraft are expected to be added to Etihad fleet this year, including 10 Airbus A321LRs, six Airbus A350s, and four Boeing 787s, Neves said. Qatar Airways also confirmed it would still go ahead with a major widebody order it is working on, with plans to announce in the coming weeks, CEO Badr Al Meer told Bloomberg (watch, runtime: 6:03).

And Qatar Airways is stockpiling parts: Qatar’s flagship carrier Qatar Airways is stockpiling aircraft spare parts in anticipation of import difficulties, Bloomberg reported on Friday. While the carrier is trying to “absorb and adapt with any changes” on the back of the tariffs’ impact on supply chain and cargo operations, passenger demand is projected to stay strong enough, Al Meer said.

Meanwhile, Riyadh Air is eyeing China’s Boeing orders if the deliveries are not fulfilled due to the ongoing trade war, CEO Tony Douglas told Reuters on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market conference. The carrier has “made it quite clear to Boeing, should that ever happen, and the keyword there is should, we’ll happily take them all,” Douglas added.

REMEMBER- Riyadh Air is desperate for jets: The new airline’s first flight was pushed back to 3Q 2025 from earlier this year on the heels of delivery delays from Boeing, but the young airliner is expecting to receive as many as four Boeing 787 Dreamliners this year, with more jets from Airbus scheduled to trickle in starting 2H 2026 as part of a 60-jet order of A321neos.

The competition for halted China-bound jets, however, is expected to be tense, with Russia offering to buy Boeing jets, as well as Asian airlines from Taiwan and Vietnam, which are eying a piece of the cake as they attempt to score a point in their bilateral trade talks with the US.

ICYMI- Chinese airlines sent back two Boeing 737 MAX jets that were due to deliver last week after the Chinese government ordered its airlines earlier this month to stop receiving Boeing jets and halt any acquisitions of aircraft-related equipment or parts from US companies.

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