The 777X’s backlog is dominated by Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, which together hold about 240 of the 350 firm orders that Boeing has secured. But Emirates (with 156 firm. Qatar Airways Privilege Club - QR planning first class for some (not all) Boeing 777X jets - Looks like the end of the A380 won't be the end of first class for QR. AAB reveals they're developing a new first product for the Boeing 777X. The key take-aways (so you don't feel obliged to click the link). would be a.
Qatar Airways is not interested in ordering Boeing’s proposed new 777X wide-body jet, its chief executive said.
Qatar Airways 777x Delivery
Asked whether the Gulf carrier was looking at ordering a proposed revamped version of Boeing’s 777 mini-jumbo, Akbar Al Baker said 'we are not interested in buying.”
Qatar Airways is among several major carriers being courted by Boeing as it finalizes plans for a larger version of its profitable 777 wide-body jet, which is expected to be launched at next month’s Dubai Airshow.
Baker was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Qatar’s capital Doha.
He had earlier said the airline wanted to be a launch customer for the 777X.
The Gulf airline is in competition with other regional airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways to expand its global reach.
Baker denied media reports that the airline is in talks with Indian budget carrier SpiceJet for a stake in the carrier.
When asked if interested in a stake in Spicejet, he said:
“No, that’s not true at all. We are not interested in that,” adding that they are only interested in a code share with the Indian carrier.
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Qatar Airways will retire the Boeing 777, the backbone of its long-haul fleet, by 2024. But that will not be the end for the Triple Seven at Qatar, nor will it be the end of the TPG Award-winning Qsuite business class on the 777. Qatar Airways will replace its current crop of 777s with the newer, bigger 777 models that are known collectively as 777X.
Airline CEO Akbar al Baker told Executive Traveller that the decision is part of a strategy to cut emissions. The 57 Boeing 777s currently operated by Qatar will be replaced by 60 newer Triple Sevens, if the airline will take all the orders it has placed with Boeing.
_landing_at_Frankfurt_Airport.jpg "Qatar airways 777x aircraft")
Qatar Airways 777x
It should be noted that Qatar has said it won’t take any new planes this year and the next, which leaves just two years for Boeing to deliver 60 new airplanes to Qatar if the airline is to substitute newer 777s for older models one for one as deliveries come in. But 60 wide-body jet deliveries to a single airline in 24 months would be a pace unheard of in commercial aviation — so it’s likely that Qatar’s 777 routes will see a service reduction, or be flown with smaller jets, until all the new 777s are delivered.
“By 2025 we will have just the 777X”, the CEO said.
Qatar has ordered 60 of the larger 777-9 model and 10 of the 777-8, which has a shorter fuselage but longer range.
Boeing says that the General Electric GEnx engines powering the 777X will burn 10% less fuel than the GEnx version installed on current 777s, with correspondingly lower emissions. Because the new 777s are larger and can carry more passengers, emissions per seat could be more than 10% better than current models.
For passengers, the arrival of the new planes could also bring an exciting new addition: a first-class cabin. Qatar Airways has first class only on its Airbus A380s, which are also going to be phased out in the mid-2020s. But al Baker said that some 777-9s will feature a first class with a “very niche product” aimed at the highest end of the market, mostly on European routes.
Qatar Airways 777x
Like Air France’s La Premiere, the best long-haul first class in the world according to TPG, this cabin would have just four seats at the very front of the 777.
Business class right behind it will be no slouch either; it will be, al Baker said, a new version of the Qsuite currently installed on 777s. Seat width will likely be unchanged since the 777X has the same fuselage cross-section as current models.
In the U.S., Qatar serves — or did before the coronavirus pandemic scrambled airline schedules — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas – Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington. It also remains, despite al Baker’s frequent threats to leave, a member of the Oneworld alliance together with American Airlines, which makes it easy to earn and use AAdvantage miles on Qatar flights.
Qatar is also getting rid of its Airbus A330s. Al Baker said: “We are retiring the entire A330 fleet now”, he told Executive Traveller. The twin-aisle Airbus A330 does not serve the U.S., where the airline sends mostly 777s and A350s. Its current 777 fleet includes two models: the 777-300ER, which is the one seen most often in the U.S., with 42 seats in business and 316 in economy, and the 777-200LR with the same business class but 217 in economy
While outwardly similar to current 777s, the -8 and -9 models will be easy to spot at airports thanks to wingtips that fold up. With an increased wing span, which reduces fuel burn, the new 777s would not fit into many existing gates — so Boeing developed a unique folding wingtip.
The 777X made its first flight earlier this year and is scheduled to enter service next year, likely with Lufthansa. No airlines in North America have ordered it, and the 777-300ER will remain the biggest passenger aircraft in scheduled service with any of them.
Qatar is currently the world’s second-biggest operator of the Boeing 777 after Emirates, with 78 aircraft, 21 of which are cargo-only versions. Those freighters, known as the 777F version, are likely to remain in service with the airline past 2024 since the 777X series does not currently include a dedicated freighter to replace it.
Featured photo of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-200LR in Los Angeles by Alberto Riva/The Points Guy
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