Qatar Airways signs sale-and-leaseback deal for A350s

Alain Charpentier - TLS

Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation has signed a purchase-and-leaseback agreement with Qatar Airways for six new Airbus A350s.

The aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery in 2017, are part of the Qatari flag-carrier’s order for 80 A350s, which is made up of 38 A350-900s and 42 of the larger A350-1000s.

Deliveries of the twin-aisle A350 have been slower than expected; the Airbus production line was impacted by slow deliveries of cabin and interior equipment.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Arab Air Carriers Organization annual meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, in late November, Qatar Airways’ Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said that it had 12 A350s on strength at that point.

“We should have had 19 by the end of [2016],” he said. “Three more are promised [by year-end]. We think only one will arrive.”

The sale-and-leaseback deal “adds to our fleet of in-demand aircraft on long-term leases,” BOC Aviation’s MD and CEO Robert Martin said. “This incremental capital expenditure is in line with our current strategy to grow our fleet through disciplined investment.”



Alan Dron alandron@adepteditorial.com