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Qatar Airways lines up Boeing order for Trump visit

By Pramod Kumar
President Donald Trump on Air Force One. He will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE next week Leah Millis/Reuters
President Donald Trump on Air Force One. He will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE next week
  • Qatar Airways ‘to order’ 100 jets
  • Riyadh Air may buy 50 planes
  • Announcements could reach $3 trillion

Qatar Airways is reportedly preparing to order about 100 wide-body aircraft from US manufacturer Boeing during President Donald Trump‘s visit to the Gulf.

The state-backed airline is looking to include an option for an additional 100 planes in the deal, Bloomberg reported, without identifying its sources.

Corporate deals announced during the visit on May 13-16 – which will take in Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as Qatar – may reach $3 trillion, beating Trump’s first regional tour in 2017, Bloomberg said. Agreements are expected in sectors such as defence, aviation, infrastructure and technology.

Riyadh Air, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is planning to buy as many as 50 wide-body jets. However, it might order them from Airbus, Boeing’s European rival, Bloomberg said.

Trump has called on Saudi Arabia to increase its trade and investment in the US to $1 trillion after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier pledged $600 billion over the president’s four-year term. 

In March, the UAE announced plans to trade and finance $1.4 trillion in the US economy over the next decade, with investments in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing. 

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