Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has fully retired its A330 passenger fleet, confirming to Reuters that the older widebodies are no longer economical amid higher fuel costs and prolonged disruption to Gulf aviation caused by the Iran war.

According to ch-aviation data, the retired fleet includes six A330-200s, all now stored at Doha Hamad International, and nine A330-300s, of which five are stored at Teruel in Spain and the rest in Doha.

ch-aviation data show the latest units were retired in March 2026 to be stored at Teruel. They are three A330-300s leased from JP Lease Products & Services and managed by Arena Aviation Capital: A7-AED (msn 680), A7-AEE (msn 711), and A7-AEF (msn 721). A further five -300s and three -200s were retired at the end of February, coinciding with the outbreak of the conflict.

Qatar Airways told Reuters that it regularly reviews its fleet, retiring older aircraft as newer, more fuel-efficient types arrive. It expects six aircraft exits and 19 deliveries between September 2026 and the end of 2027.

ch-aviation has contacted Qatar Airways for comment.

The airline has also offered more than a dozen A330-trained pilots on voluntary short-term secondments to RwandAir, allowing them to maintain flying currency following the retirement of the type, Reuters reported.

RwandAir operates one A330-300 and three A330-200s, including -200 9XR-WS (msn 1049), which joined the fleet on September 17, 2026, formerly operated by Oman Air as A40-DC, according to ch-aviation and ADS-B data.

Qatar Airways' total fleet comprises 239 passenger aircraft and 30 freighters, with 319 aircraft on order.