Article from BTNews 9 OCTOBER 2017
More B777s for Qatar
Four more Boeing B777-300ERs are to join the Qatar Airways fleet as part of an order just announced by the companies.
The carrier has also ordered two B747-8 freighters. The six aircraft together are valued at $2.16bn at list prices.
The announcement marks the latest milestone in Qatar Airways’ relationship with Boeing. The carrier became a launch customer for the B777X in 2013, was the first to operate the B787 in the Middle East and has 20 B737 MAXs on order.
In all, the airline currently operates a fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody aircraft and has more than 100 more to come, including the B737 MAXs, a fact highlighted by group chief executive Akbar Al Baker in welcoming the new order.
On the passenger aircraft, he said the B777-300ER had the highest schedule reliability of any twin-aisle aircraft currently flying and had become “the flagship of the world’s elite airlines”.
He also noted that as the world’s third-largest cargo operator, with a 20-strong widebody fleet, Qatar Airways was particularly pleased to welcome its first B747-8 freighter as it marked a continued investment fleet expansion in that division also.
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