Qatar Airways has placed a sizable order with Boeing. The airline ordered a total of 40 jets, comprised of 30 787-9 Dreamliners, and 10 777-300ER aircraft.
Both of those planes are made in the Puget Sound area. The list price for all 40 planes is nearly $12 billion, but large orders typically include discounts.
Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia says Qatar’s order with Boeing is less about the aircraft and more about customer service.
“It’s hard to see this as a major announcement by a company that really loves these products. It’s easier to see it as an airline that’s rather annoyed at Airbus because of production delays … so they’re showing their displeasure by diverting a few of those orders to Boeing instead,” said Aboulafia.
In the case of the 777, he says Qatar Airways is giving Boeing a slight boost in an otherwise dismal sales year. Qatar also announced tentative plans to order up to 60 of Boeing’s 737-MAX 8 jets. The list price for that sale is around $7 billion.
