Qatar Airways cancels A350s, orders B747-8 freighters

Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) has scrapped orders with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for four A350-900s while placing new ones with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) for two B747-8(F)s the carrier's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Akbar al Baker has said.

According to Bloomberg, al Baker said the A350s were dropped following lengthy delays in their deliveries. Qatar Airways' A350 contract reportedly includes a clause allowing it to scrap handovers if they are delayed beyond a certain point.

"We confirm that Qatar Airways has canceled four of their contractual A350 delivery slots," an Airbus spokesman later confirmed to Reuters adding that the decision was related to "known supply chain issues".
In March, al Baker lambasted the Europeans for the delivery delays while highlighting the fact that the airline was now eight destinations behind schedule as a result.

Qatar Airways currently operates nineteen A350-900s. The B747 freighters will be the first of the type in the carrier's cargo fleet which consists of twelve B777-Fs, eight A330-200(F)s, and one B747-400(F) (wet-leased from SW Italia (IU, Milan Malpensa)).

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FPP - FRA