In late Could 2025, Qatar Airways made the strategic resolution to cancel its order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10s, a transfer confirmed by CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer in an interview with Bloomberg. a transfer that not solely ends its short-lived enterprise into the kind but in addition reshapes the airline’s complete narrowbody technique. The order, which additionally included choices for 25 extra, was positioned in the course of the 2022 Farnborough Airshow, a time when the airline’s relationship with Airbus was at an all-time low, the deal was positioned as an answer for the airline’s regional community, with Boeing Industrial Airplanes’ then-CEO Stan Deal praising the plane as “ideally fitted to Qatar Airways’ regional community.”However two years later, delays within the 737 MAX 10’s certification, which has pushed its anticipated entry into business service to 2026 on the earliest, have compelled the airline to rethink. Qatar Airways is just not alone in dealing with these setbacks, main carriers like United Airways, American Airways, and Delta Air Strains are additionally ready, with rising frustration.In reality, United’s Chief Industrial Officer, Andrew Nocella, instructed Reuters that the 737 MAX 10 isn’t anticipated to reach earlier than 2027 and even 2028, and the airline is now hesitant to transform any MAX 9 orders into MAX 10s. “We need to see the plane licensed earlier than we make the agency dedication,” Nocella stated.Qatar Airways, in the meantime, opted to stroll away fully.
A Falling Out, and Reconciliation With Airbus
Qatar’s transfer to order the 737 MAX 10s in 2022 wasn’t born purely of efficiency metrics, it was a response to an escalating authorized and business dispute with Airbus. That 12 months, Qatar Airways grounded all 29 of its Airbus A350s, citing what it described as “accelerated floor degradation” of the plane’s painted fuselage. In response, the airline filed a lawsuit searching for $600 million in damages from Airbus and publicly challenged the protection and airworthiness of the A350 fleet. Airbus, whereas acknowledging beauty and floor points, insisted the plane had been structurally secure and continued deliveries to different clients. Throughout this high-profile battle:
- Qatar Airways cancelled its remaining order for 23 Airbus A350s.
- The airline additionally cancelled a separate order for 50 Airbus A321neos, a fleet crucial to its short-haul operations.
On the peak of the fallout, the Boeing 737 MAX 10 was pulled in to fill that hole, providing Qatar Airways an alternate narrowbody answer because it severed ties, quickly, with Airbus. However in early 2023, the feud reached a decision. Each events issued a joint assertion saying that the matter had been settled amicably:“Qatar Airways and Airbus are happy to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their authorized dispute over A350 floor degradation and the grounding of A350 plane. A restore undertaking is now underway and each events stay up for getting these plane safely again within the air.” Following this, Qatar reinstated the order for 50 A321neos, and Airbus resumed supply plans for the grounded A350s. The settlement not solely restored fleet improvement plans however reset the tone of the Qatar-Airbus relationship.
Why Airbus Is Again In, And Boeing Narrowbodies Are Out
Qatar Airways’ Chief Govt Officer Badr Mohammed Al Meer, in an interview with Bloomberg, confirmed the airline had dropped the MAX 10 order, which additionally included choices for 25 extra plane. This resolution, he revealed, was made along with an enormous new Boeing widebody order that dwarfs the worth of the narrowbody deal. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways positioned its largest-ever plane order, agreeing to buy 130 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 30 Boeing 777-9s, with choices for a further 50 plane, a possible complete of 210 widebodies valued at $96 billion. Responding as to if the airline was enjoying Boeing and Airbus towards one another, Al Meer instructed Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua: “You already know, in the interim, we have to give attention to finalizing our settlement with Boeing. As you noticed, we’re not like different airways the place we cut up our orders 20 immediately, 20 subsequent 12 months. As a result of we’re basing our order on a really strong technique and we determined to go together with the 210 plane order. Nonetheless, it doesn’t imply that Airbus is out of the sport. Our narrowbodies will proceed to be Airbus.” In a separate public remark, Al Meer reiterated the airline’s route: “Our narrowbody [fleet] will proceed to be Airbus. We’re receiving 50 A321neos beginning subsequent 12 months. So our entire narrowbody fleet will likely be principally operated by Airbus. We proceed to obtain A350-1000s, and there’ll at all times be an opportunity for one more order from Airbus.”
What Qatar Airways’ Fleet Seems to be Like Now, And What’s Coming
As of now, Qatar Airways operates a restricted narrowbody fleet consisting of:
Present Narrowbody Fleet
- 27 Airbus A320s
- Two configurations:
- Model 1: 12 Enterprise + 120 Financial system = 132 seats
- Model 2: 12 Enterprise + 132 Financial system = 144 seats
- Two configurations:
- 3 Boeing 737 MAX 8s
- 8 Enterprise + 168 Financial system = 176 seats
A number of MAX 8s beforehand operated by Qatar Airways have already been leased to IndiGo for routes between Qatar and India. The remaining three are anticipated to be phased out quickly, aligning with the airline’s plan to standardize its narrowbody fleet round Airbus.
Airbus Orders in Pipeline
- 40 Airbus A321neos
- 10 Airbus A321LRs
Present and Future Widebody Fleet
| Plane Kind | In Fleet | On Order |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A350-1000 | 24 | 18 |
| Boeing 787 | 41 | 130 |
| Boeing 777X | 0 | 90 |
Qatar Airways is already the most important operator of the Airbus A350-1000 globally. The plane usually options two configurations:
- 24 Enterprise + 371 Financial system = 395 passengers
- 46 Enterprise + 182 Financial system = Premium-heavy format
Within the years forward, the airline will boast one of the vital trendy widebody fleets on the earth, working from its hub at Doha Hamad Worldwide Airport (DOH).
What’s Subsequent? Extra Airbus Orders Could Observe
Whereas Boeing has secured a record-breaking widebody order, there’s hypothesis that Qatar Airways might also return to Airbus for extra widebodies. Prospects embrace:
- Extra A350s, to enrich the airline’s present dominance in that mannequin.
- Airbus A330-900s, a possible substitute for its getting older A330-200s and A330-300s.
Qatar Airways’ renewed ties with Airbus open the door for future offers, because the airline seems to refine and develop its fleet underneath a disciplined, long-term technique. The airline is clearly not chasing diversification for its personal sake, it is concentrating on operational effectivity, flexibility, and strategic alignment with its progress ambitions.As for Boeing, with a rising backlog of 737 MAX 10 orders, the producer now faces intensifying stress to resolve regulatory hurdles which have saved the plane grounded within the certification course of. The delays are prompting a number of main carriers to rethink their long-term fleet methods. Qatar Airways is just not alone in stepping again from the MAX 10; United Airways, one of many plane’s largest clients, has expressed deep considerations over supply timelines. American Airways, Delta Air Strains, and Alaska Airways, all with MAX 10 orders within the pipeline, are additionally intently watching the certification timeline, with some reportedly exploring various choices or reconfiguring present commitments.
