Qatar Airways said it’s poised to make a major jetliner purchase, adding to a backlog of more than 340 outstanding orders for Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE planes.
The Gulf carrier will place a “large” aircraft order “soon,” Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said Wednesday at a briefing in Doha, without elaborating on the number or class of jets required.
“Qatar Airways has a continuous plan of fleet expansion and fleet replacement in order to keep the average age of our fleet very young,” Al Baker said.
Qatar Air’s order book includes 80 Airbus A320neos — a deal that may be at risk after Al Baker declined to take delivery of the first planes because of engine cooling issues, saying that he was exploring the option of switching to Boeing’s 737 Max.
The Mideast airline has also said it may help to renew the fleet of Italy’s Meridiana Fly SpA after agreeing to buy a 49 percent stake. More info
By Mohammed Sergie @msergie Deena Kamel www.bloomberg.com
