Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has said that it will delay the retirements of B777-300ERs after Boeing confirmed that the projected delivery of the first B777-9 has now slipped to 2021, Air Transport World has reported.

The Qatari flag carrier has previously vied for the B777-9's launch customer, although Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) and Emirates (EK, Dubai International) also expect to be first in line for the new widebody.

According to the ch-aviation Commercial Aviation Aircraft Data module, Qatar Airways operates forty-eight B777-300(ER)s and nine B777-200LRs. They are due to be replaced with the B777X - Qatar Airways has ten B777-8s and fifty -9s on firm order from the manufacturer.