Qatar Airways, after having watched from the sidelines at the Dubai Air Show last year on Emirates home turf, decides to make some major announcements at the UK Farnborough air show 2024. The airline has unveiled its stunning new business class Qsuite Next Gen product along with a significant expansion of its standing order with Boeing for the 777x.
A New Important Endorsement for the Boeing 777x by Qatar Airways
The FAA clearance to start the type certification process, therefore allowing the test flights takeoff, put the steam Boeing needed in the 777x project. Delays on top of delays got many of us, and the airlines, asking ourselves if the massive airliner would ever be allowed to fly passengers. The big day finally seems to be drawing closer and no longer sliding further into the future.
I think the green light from the FAA was key for many airlines to finally take decisive action and order the new updated 777. That list of airlines includes Qatar Airways. The Doha based airline had already ordered a substantial number of both passenger and freighter 777. However, I’m confident that the FAA type certification decision helped the carrier decide to increase its current 777-9 order.
Qatar Airways has in fact decided it will receive additional 20 Boeing 777-9. The announcement came from the Farnborough air show, which is ongoing this week. Those twenty extra planes bring the grand total of Boeing 777x on order by Qatar to 60. Therefore, making the airline on of the largest investors in the project. The updated version of the 777 will be pivotal to replace the ageing 777-300ERs the airline currently operates becoming the backbone of long-range high-capacity operations. Qatar also has 12 787 Dreamliner and 25 737 MAX on order from Boeing.
A Special Cabin For A Special New Plane
The wait for the 777x has been long, too long. The plane should have long been flying with airlines around the world. But the unfortunate continuous delays somehow offered perfect timing to Qatar Airways to design and fit a brand new product on these new 777-9s.
All 777-9s destined to Qatar Airways will be fitted with the spectacular new version of the massively successful Qsuite business class cabin. You can find out more about the Qsuite Next Gen checking out this other post.