Qatar Airways finalizes $3.3 billion order for 25 Boeing MAX airplanes

Qatar Airways finalized Thursday an order for 25 Boeing MAX 10 single-aisle passenger jets worth $3.3 billion at the Farnborough airshow.

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The announcement, including options for 25 more, comes after Boeing and the Doha-based carrier signed a memorandum of understanding for the 737 MAX aircraft in January.

The news was revealed by Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker on the fourth day of the airshow, held in Farnborough southwest of London and which opens to the public on Friday.

“We are honored that Qatar Airways has decided to add Boeing’s single-aisle family to its fleet with improved economics, fuel efficiency and sustainable operations,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“The 737-10 is ideally suited for Qatar Airways’ regional network and will provide the carrier with the most capable, most fuel-efficient planes in its class.”

Boeing has triumphed over its European rival Airbus in the traditional Farnborough battle for orders this year, while also turning around the fortunes of its crisis-hit MAX jet.

US airline Delta had agreed to purchase 100 MAX-10 planes on Monday in a blockbuster $13.5-billion deal, with an option for 30 more.

The MAX aircraft had suffered two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, in 2018 and 2019, killing a combined 346 people.

The disasters triggered the temporary global grounding of the jet before it returned to service in late 2020.

Thursday’s news also comes after Boeing’s fierce European rival Airbus canceled a multi-billion-dollar order of 50 single-aisle A321neo jets from Qatar Airways earlier this year in a feud over the carrier’s grounding of A350 aircraft.

Both the MAX 10 and the A321neo are in the same classification of narrow-body plane.

Qatar Airways operates a total of more than 120 Boeing airplanes, including 777 and 787 passenger jets.

In an additional announcement, Boeing also revealed Thursday that Europe’s largest cargo airline Cargolux had selected its 777-8 freighter as the preferred replacement for its fleet of 747-400s.

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