Qatar Airways will be the 777-8 Freighter launch customer with a firm order for 34 jets and options for 16 more, a total purchase that would be worth more than $20bn at current list prices and the largest freighter commitment in Boeing history by value. US President Biden noted Qatar’s Boeing order also supports hundreds of US suppliers from across 38 states, will sustain more than 35,000 US jobs, and provide the American economy with an annual estimated economic impact of $2.6bn during the contract’s delivery period.
“Boeing has a long history of building market-leading freighter aircraft and Qatar Airways is honoured to have the opportunity to be the launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter, an aircraft which will not only allow us to further enhance our product offering for our customers, but also help us meet our objectives to deliver a sustainable future for our business,” said CEO HE Akbar al-Baker.
The cargo jet order was somewhat expected and has been in the works for around one year. Like other airlines, Qatar Airways was assessing a cargo version of the Airbus A350, known as the A350F, or the Boeing equivalent. However, with the relationship between Qatar Airways and Airbus breaking down over the last six months amid an ongoing issue of surface degradation on the A350, it became quite clear that Boeing was set to land the new cargo jet order.
But that’s not where the airplane shopping stopped. On the same day, in The White House, Boeing and Qatar Airways also signed a memorandum of understanding for a firm order of 25 737-10 aircraft — Boeing’s longest single-aisle jet. Qatar also secured purchase rights for 25 additional airplanes. The total value of this 737-10 commitment is nearly $7bn at current list prices.
The 737-10 is the longest version of…