Qatar Airways Group has warned both major aircraft manufacturers to agree to delivery deferrals on pain of losing future business with the carrier.
"We are negotiating with both Boeing and Airbus to fulfil our requirement to defer and we hope that both the manufacturers will oblige. They have no other alternative to oblige," Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker told Reuters.
While he did not elaborate on the details of deferrals sought by Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International), Al Baker specifically identified the B737-8 as being subject to negotiations with Boeing. The Qatari carrier has an order for 60 of the type through lessors. Three were already delivered and used to be operated by Air Italy, 49%-owned by Qatar Airways Group, until the carrier's demise in February 2020. Al Baker said the airline will attempt to "sell" the aircraft that have already been delivered, although they are not owned by Qatar Airways but by Standard Chartered Aviation Finance, according to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module.
Qatar Airways did not respond to ch-aviation's request for clarification regarding the B737 MAX 8s.
The airline has outstanding orders directly from the manufacturers for forty A321-200neo, ten A321neo(LR)s, twenty-seven A350-1000s, five B777-Fs, ten B777-8s, fifty B777-9s, and twenty-three B787-9s, the ch-aviation fleets module shows.
Al Baker added that as Qatar Airways emerges from the COVID-caused crisis, it planned to keep around 20% of its fleet grounded for the foreseeable future. This includes all ten A380-800s, which will remain in storage through mid- or late 2021.
