Boeing, Qatar Airways Announce Order for Two 747-8 Freighters and Four 777-300ERs
The orders were previously unidentified on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website.
The airline also received the first of its 747-8 Freighters at a delivery ceremony attended by His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister.
"The addition of our very first 747-8 Freighter is a significant moment for our Cargo division, and a welcome addition to our 20-strong cargo fleet of wide-body aircraft," said His Excellency Mr. Al Baker. "As the world's third-largest cargo operator, Qatar Airways continues to invest in fleet expansion, with a second 747-8F due to be delivered in November. This reflects our confidence in Boeing to continue to deliver an outstanding product that meets our exacting standards. We expect no less than perfection, and we are confident that Boeing will continue to deliver that."
Today's announcement is the latest milestone in Qatar Airways' relationship with Boeing. The carrier became a launch customer for the 777X in 2013, was the first to operate the 787 in the Middle East and has 20 737 MAX airplanes on order.
"We are proud of our strong, enduring and growing partnership with Qatar Airways and we truly appreciate the value its business has brought to Boeing, its employees, suppliers and our communities," McAllister said. "As one of the world's largest international cargo carriers, it is heartening that Qatar Airways has selected the 747-8 Freighter to meet the needs of its growing cargo operations and to see the important role the 777-300ER continues to play in its long-haul fleet."
Qatar Airways currently operates a fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody airplanes and has more than 100 additional Boeing airplanes on order.
The 747-8 Freighter gives cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. It is optimized to provide greater revenue cargo-carrying capability than the 747-400, offering 16 percent more cargo volume while keeping its unique nose door.
The 777-300ER has the highest schedule reliability of any twin-aisle airplane flying today. It is the flagship of the world's elite airlines.
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world's fastest-growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017/18, including Dublin, Nice, Skopje, Sarajevo and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of 200 aircraft.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world's third largest international cargo carrier, serves 60 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally with 200 aircraft.
The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters and 12 Boeing 777 freighters.
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