Qatar Airways expands Boeing 777 order book

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways ordered 20 new Boeing 777-9 passenger jets at the Farnborough International Airshow this week after announcing record profits in its 27-year history.

Additionally, the carrier has committed to 40 new GE9X engines and spare engines, in addition to a long-term services agreement.

The total cost of the deal and delivery schedule of the aircraft were not given.

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Boeing said the order, which expands the carrier’s 777X order book to nearly 100 airplanes, was finalised this year and listed as unidentified on its orders and deliveries website.

The 777-9 is the largest in the Boeing 777 family and will help operators open new growth opportunities with capacity for 426 passengers in a typical two-class configuration and a range of 13,510 km.

• Qatar Airways announces record profits

The US planemaker has commenced certification flight testing this month. 

Qatar Airways CEO Badr Al Meer also said the airline is likely to finalise a “sizeable” new order of wide-body jets by the end of 2024 or in the first quarter of 2025, Reuters reported.

He said that the decision to extend the service life of its Airbus A380 jets was approved, with planned upgrades.

This month Qatar Airways Group announced profits of more than QR6 billion ($2 billion) for the 2023-24 financial year.

Passenger revenue rose by 19 percent, with a capacity increase of more than one-fifth, driven by the airline’s highest-ever load factor of 83 percent.

The airline connects more than 170 destinations worldwide. Its oder book stands at 150 aircraft.