Qatar Airways Places Major Order with Boeing
Photo Credit: Doha-based Qatar Airways signed a letter of intent for 60 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. It also placed firm orders for 30 Boeing 787-9s and 10 Boeing 777-300ERs. Boeing / Boeing
Skift Take
This is not the biggest aircraft order of all time, but you have to give Qatar Airways credit for the stagecraft. The Washington political class hasn't exactly been a great friend to the airline, but the carrier nonetheless made the announcement inside the Beltway. It even included a senior State Department official.
Qatar Airways, one of three Gulf carriers criticized by the three largest U.S. airlines for allegedly taking unfair subsidies from its government, said Friday it will order at least 40 American-made wide-body jets from Boeing, and it signaled it may add 60 more short-haul aircraft from the manufacturer.
The Washington, D.C. press conference announcing the deal had the feel of political theater, featuring guests from Boeing, Qatar Airways, the government of Qatar, and even the U.S. State Department, which sent Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. President Obama's Secretary of Commerce, Penny
