Qatar Airways orders 20 new Boeing 777 aircrafts

Flag carrier Qatar Airways has inked an agreement with Boeing to add 20 Boeing 777-9 carriers to its Boeing order book, on top of its existing order of 40 Boeing 777-9s, according to a statement (pdf). The Qatar Airways fleet will now include 94 commercial and cargo Boeing 777X planes. The investment ticket and delivery timeline for the order were not disclosed, although it is estimated to cost around USD 4 bn, Reuters reports, citing aircraft analytics firm Cirium Ascend.

There’s more: On top of the 20 Boeing 777-9 planes on request, the order also includes a commitment for 40 additional GE9X engines and spare engines from GE Aerospace. The airline also inked a long-term services agreement.

What they said: “We appreciate their confidence that Boeing’s market-leading widebody family will provide outstanding fuel efficiency and a superior passenger experience for its global operations,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope.

Boeing is persevering: Despite losses, production delays, and a lawsuit, Boeing is logging in USD bn orders with Emirates’ cargo arm Emirates SkyCargo placing an order for five Boeing 777 freighters last week, slated for immediate delivery between 2025 and 2026.

The delays have some regional players reevaluating plans: UAE’s budget carrier flydubai — currently mulling its biggest aircraft purchase in 15 years — is reevaluating its all-Boeing fleet and exploring options from both Boeing and Airbus due to significant delivery delays, the carrier’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith told Bloomberg. Al Ghaith mentioned that Flydubai's next major order would exceed its 2017 order of 175 Boeing 737 aircraft.

REMEMBER- Flydubai said last week that its expansion plans will be significantly hampered by delays in Boeing’s delivery schedule. The airline is now working on “evaluating its route development plans and potential frequency revision across the network due to a lack of new aircraft deliveries over the next few months.” Fourteen 737 MAX aircraft, originally slated for delivery this year, will not be handed over to Flydubai due to Boeing’s revised schedule.

IN OTHER NEWS- Libya’s Berniq AIrways places an order for six Airbus A320neo Family air carriers, according to a statement. The airline is slated to double its existing operational fleet to add more regional and international routes to its roster. The investment ticket or delivery time line were not specified.