Qatar Airways seeks to drop Boeing 737s after making up with airbus

Doha: Qatar Airways is looking to strike the Boeing Co. 737-10 model from its order book because the aircraft no longer meets its fleet requirements, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The airline, with an order for 25 737-10s, is considering switching to smaller 737-8s and would likely hand those planes to partners like RwandAir and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. that already use the model, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private negotiations.

The Gulf carrier firmed up the deal for the 737s in mid 2022 at a time when it was mired in a messy dispute with Airbus SE that led to the cancellation of a purchase agreement for 50 A321 narrowbody jets.

The spat, which originated with the larger A350 model, was later settled out of court and Airbus reinstated the order, leaving Qatar on the hook for the Boeing narrowbody planes that it now doesn’t need anymore.

Qatar Airways declined to comment, and a Boeing official said the manufacturer would defer to the customer.In July, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Badr Al Meer said that relationships had improved with Airbus, and that the planemaker is delivering aircraft earlier than planned. Al Meer took over from Akbar Al Baker, who had clashed with Airbus over flaking paint on the larger A350 planes.
Qatar predominantly flies long-haul models like the Airbus A350 as well as Boeing’s 787 and 777 planes. As part of the switch into smaller 737 Max planes, the company may also take more 787 aircraft from Boeing, the people said. The airline could also choose to opt for the 777 freighter, another person said.

The 737 Max 10 is the largest variant of Boeing’s popular single-aisle family. Qatar Airways would join carriers including United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Virgin Australia that have switched out of some orders for the long-delayed Max 10.
The commercial debut of the model isn’t expected before later in 2025 at best. Certification is years behind schedule as the US manufacturer grapples with tougher regulatory scrutiny and redesign of the jet engines anti-ice system.

Qatar Airways is separately working on a large order for new aircraft, which may come early next year.