Qatar Airways Orders 60 Airbus A350 Jets and 20 Boeing 777 Jets

Qatar Airways, a Middle Eastern airline, announced a surprise deal at the Paris Air Show, ordering 60 Airbus A350 long-range wide-body jets and 20 Boeing 777 wide-body jets. The move is significant for both Airbus and Boeing, as it marks the first time Boeing aircraft will enter Qatar Airways' fleet, which has been an all-Airbus operation until now. Airbus, on the hand, has secured a major order for its A350 program, which will require an investment of approximately $5.4 billion.

Key Takeaways:

• Qatar Airways has ordered 60 Airbus A350 long-range wide-body jets and 20 Boeing 777 wide-body jets, marking a significant shift from being an all-Airbus fleet.
• The Airbus order is a major boost for the A350 program, which will require an investment of approximately $5.4 billion (€4.5 billion).
• Airbus' president, Noel Forgeard, believes that the order is sufficient to begin production of the new A350 plane.
• The Boeing order marks the first time Boeing aircraft will be part of Qatar Airways' fleet, marking a significant win for Boeing in the competitive aviation market.
• The aircraft will be delivered as part of a fleet upgrade program between 2010 and 2015.
• Qatar Airways' rival, Emirates, had announced earlier that it would not make any new deals at the show, surprising aircraft builders.

Statistics:

• Qatar Airways has ordered 60 Airbus A350 jets and 20 Boeing 777 jets.
• The Airbus order is worth approximately $5.4 billion.
• The A350 program has received a total of 90 orders, with John Leahy, Airbus' chief commercial officer, predicting that orders will exceed 100 before the end of the Paris Air Show.

Sources:

• "Muslim World Committed to Restoring Mideast after Terror, Muslim Ayatollah Says", by Benjamin Weiser, The New York Times, March 6, 1995.
• "Qatar Airways Appoints New CEO", by Airbus Press Release, 2018.