Qatar Airways is in early talks with Boeing and Airbus to order 100 to 150 widebody jets to expand and renew its fleet, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Major airlines are in a race to procure new fuel-efficient widebody jets to keep operating costs down and to cater to booming international travel demand.
The order will most likely be for the Airbus A350 or Boeing 777X models, the report said.
China is stepping up regulatory pressure to win foreign backing for its new jet, but industry sources have warned the landmark approvals from Western regulators could take years. The COMAC C919 narrow body jet – designed to compete with best-selling models of dominant planemakers Airbus and Boeing – entered service in China last May after winning domestic safety certification in 2022.
Qatar Airways has submitted a request for a proposal to Boeing and Airbus for a “big” new aircraft order, its CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer said during a CNBC interview on Friday. “We are in constant dialogue with our customers, but we never comment on the confidential content of our talks,” Airbus said.
Boeing deferred to Qatar Airways for a comment. Qatar Airways declined to comment.
Earlier this month, Qatar’s national carrier said its entire fleet of A350 jets were back into service, more than a year after settling a legal dispute with Airbus over damage to their painted surface.
Meanwhile, Boeing’s 777X program, which has seen hundreds of jet orders from airlines across the world, is plagued by years of delays.
