In the last few moments, Qatar Airways has signed a deal for Boeing’s freighter version of its newest twinjet, the 777X. The order makes Qatar the launch customer for the new cargo jet, with a commitment for up to 50 airplanes. In a surprise twist, the deal also includes an additional order for up to 50 737 MAX.
Deal done
A much-rumored deal has finally been done today between Qatar Airways and Boeing for its forthcoming freighter variant of the 777X. Qatar’s emir was visiting Washington for talks with the President, and took the opportunity to sign for a total of 50 of the airplanes during his visit.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, representatives from the government of Qatar, Boeing, GE Aviation, and Qatar Airways all participated in a signing ceremony at 12:30ET today. The 777XF deal was signed for 34 firm orders and 16 options.
Signed @BoeingAirplanes @qatarairways pic.twitter.com/kyZq7BtGwS
— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) January 31, 2022
While the 777XF deal had been doing the rounds on the aviation grapevine, more of a surprise was the inclusion of a narrowbody order within the deal. The airline has also signed for up to 50 737 MAX aircraft, replacing the 50 A321neos that were canceled by Airbus earlier this month. The order is for 25 firm and 25 options.
The decision to look to the US manufacturer for its future needs does not come as a surprise from Qatar. The airline has been locked in a very public row with European planemaker Airbus over problems with some of its A350 passenger jets. The airline recently released a damning video showing flaking paintwork and surface cracks on at least three of its A350s and is reported to be seeking some $600 million in damages from Airbus.
Earlier this month, Airbus canceled Qatar’s outstanding A321neo order, which stood at a total of 50 airplanes. Qatar’s release of the previously private video footage was widely considered to be a retaliatory move. Now, the Gulf airline has delivered the final sucker punch – a significant order from the planemaker’s rival.
Airbus launched its own future freighter contender earlier this year, with orders announced at the Dubai Airshow. Since then, several other lessors and airlines have ordered the type, but things in Qatar had been surprisingly quiet. Having previously said he would be at the ‘front of the queue’ to order any new generation freight aircraft, CEO Akbar Al Baker ruled out the A350F during a speech to the Aviation Club UK in November.
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A busy 24 hours for the emir
The arrival of Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Washington DC yesterday signaled the start of a busy few days for his highness, and for the United States. Having been received at Andrews Air Force Base yesterday, the emir has spent the morning at the Pentagon, holding talks with Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin. From there, he went to the residence of Alejandro Mayorkas, Minister of National Security, for talks.
Now, the emir is meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss a broad agenda ranging from energy security to the Ukraine conflict. The two are expected to also discuss the Iran nuclear talks and relations with Afghanistan. But before all that kicked off, the President hosted a signing ceremony for an export that is proving to be a feather in Boeing’s cap.
The 777X has been the subject of some contention in the Middle East, with neighboring airline Emirates growing increasingly displeased with the delays to the timeline of this new giant jet. President of Emirates, Sir Tim Clark, has spoken out numerous times about his lack of visibility on the delivery timeframes for the aircraft, but has not canceled his order. Emirates has, however, switched some away from the 777X for the smaller Boeing Dreamliner.
Now, Boeing has the vote of confidence it needs to kick off the sales of its 777X freighter. With plenty of airlines still out there operating aging 777Fs, this could be a move that snowballs its order book through the rest of 2022.
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