Trump’s Middle East Tour Wins Boeing Orders For Up To 240 Planes

Boeing has benefited significantly from U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week. Yesterday, it first gained an order in Saudi Arabia for up to 30 737 MAX jets. Today, the manufacturer also received an order for up to 210 aircraft from Qatar Airways, a record-setting widebody order for the manufacturer.

The Largest Ever Order For Boeing 787 Dreamliners

According to Boeing’s announcement, the order for 130 Boeing 787 aircraft it is the “largest order for 787 Dreamliners and Qatar Airways largest-ever order.” The contract includes additional orders for 30 of Boeing’s new 777-9 aircraft, and options for up to 50 787 and 777X airplanes. With this order, Qatar Airways will become the largest 787 Dreamliner operator in the Middle East.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Amir of the State of Qatar witnessed the order signing. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg accompanied the president on his Middle East trip as part of a delegation of business executives.

“We are happy to announce our agreement with Boeing and our partnership in the largest aircraft order in our history. A critical next step for Qatar Airways on our path as we invest in the cleanest, youngest and most efficient fleet in global aviation. This so we can meet the strong demand in the airline as we seamlessly connect passengers to the world better than anyone,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer in a statement. “After two consecutive years of record-breaking commercial performance and with this historic Boeing aircraft order we’re not simply chasing scale, we’re building strength that will allow us to continue to deliver our unmatched products and customer experiences. We thank our Boeing partners for answering the call and look forward to a future of continued smart growth together.”

“We are deeply honored that Qatar Airways has placed this record-breaking order with Boeing, one that solidifies their future fleet with our market-leading widebody airplane family at its center,” said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the company’s announcement. “Our team is looking forward to building 787s and 777s for Qatar Airways into the next decade as they connect more people and businesses around the world with unmatched efficiency and comfort.”

Boeing Gets A Large Chunk Of The Qatar Airways Fleet

The Qatar Airways Group, which includes Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways Cargo, and Qatar Executive, currently operates a mixed fleet of 269 Airbus, Boeing and Gulfstream aircraft. Data from Planespotters shows that, aside from nine relatively young (four and a half years average) Boeing 737 MAX 8 narrowbody aircraft, the Group holds 92 Boeing 777s with an average age of 11 years. These include:

• 7 Boeing 777-200s
• 57 Boeing 777-300ERs
• 28 Boeing 777 Freighters

The airline group is also expecting delivery of one more Boeing 777-200. Qatar Airways has already ordered 94 of Boeing’s new 777Xs, which are still pending certification by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Qatar also has a long-haul fleet of 53 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with an average age of 7.7 years. These include:

• 31 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners
• 22 Boeing 787-9s

The Group has one additional 787-8 Dreamliner and two additional 787-9s pending delivery.

Adding 210 Boeing long-haul aircraft to the fleet would drastically increase the airline’s ability to expand its international routes and reliance on Boeing aircraft in its operations.

Qatar Airways’ total Airbus fleet consists of 109 planes, with five additional aircraft pending delivery. The airline’s narrowbody fleet is largely Airbus, with two 20-year-old Airbus A319s and 28 Airbus A320s with an average age of nearly 13 years.

Qatar’s Airbus widebody fleet includes 11 Airbus A330s, with an average age of almost 18 years, two Airbus A340s, which are almost 27 years old on average, and 58 relatively new (seven years average) Airbus A350XWBs. The airline is still expecting delivery of three additional A350s.

Qatar Airways also has a fleet of eight Airbus A380 superjumbos, with an average age of nine years.

U.S. Engine Maker GE Aerospace Also Benefits

Qatar Airways has selected GE Aerospace’s GEnx engines for its 787s, rather than the UK’s Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000. GE Aerospace’s GE9X is the sole engine for the 777X program. The 210 aircraft order is the largest widebody engine deal in the company’s history.

Qatar Airways signed an agreement to buy over 400 engines, including 60 GE9X and 260 GEnx engines, with additional options and spares. The airline previously ordered 188 GE9X engines, bringing the total with the deal signed today to 248 engines. The airline’s selection of GEnx engines for the Boeing 787 fleet supplements an existing 124 engine order.  The airline also signed service agreements for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the GEnx and GE9X engines.

“Our latest agreement with GE Aerospace reflects our confidence in the performance of the GE9X and GEnx engines to power our fleet of Boeing 777-9 and 787 aircraft,” Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said in a statement. “These next-generation engines are critical components in our strategy to ensure our fleet remains modern and efficient.” 

GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. said in the company’s announcement, “We are extremely honored to deepen our relationship with Qatar Airways and grateful to them for placing their trust in us with our largest ever widebody engine deal. Our widebody engines – the GE9X and GEnx – are marvels of modern engineering, with the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances. We appreciate President Trump’s support for this historic agreement.”

AviLease Orders 30 737 MAX Planes

AviLease confirmed the Saudi order for 737 MAX narrowbody planes yesterday while the President was in Saudi Arabia. The lessor placed firm orders for up to 20 737-8 jets with options for 10 more. This is also the first time the lessor has placed a direct order with Boeing.

“We are pleased to conclude our first direct Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) order, complementing our growth strategy towards being at the top of the industry,” said Edward O’Byrne, CEO of AviLease. “These new aircraft will accelerate our growth and enable us to deliver the industry’s latest generation, fuel–efficient fleet solutions.”

The narrowbody planes will support Saudi Arabia’s tourism growth plans. The Kingdom aims to attract 150 million visitors by 2030, serving 330 million passengers in its aviation sector. The lessor expects to receive the 30 new 737-8 planes by 2032.

Avilease currently owns a fleet of 200 aircraft that are on lease to 48 airlines.

“The 737 MAX will diversify AviLease’s portfolio by delivering unrivalled fuel efficiency and market-leading versatility. It’s a powerful combination that will fuel AviLease’s profitable global expansion and support their airline customers’ business and sustainability goals,” Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing, said in Boeing’s announcement.