Qatar Airways steps up orders for Boeing aircraft, looks for US investment

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said on Monday the carrier plans to expand its fleet, stepping up orders for Boeing Co aircraft and accepting four Airbus aircraft that it had cancelled in July because of delays due to supplier problems.

Al Baker, who spoke at an event in which he formally accepted delivery of Qatar Airways' first Boeing 747-8 freighter, disclosed plans to acquire the four 777-300 aircraft, which can accommodate up to 396 passengers depending on the seating configuration.

In addition, Qatar Airways will order all 60 of the Boeing 737 airplanes for which it signed a letter of intent last year, he said.

Al Baker said in an interview that all of Qatar's options and purchase rights for the narrowbody jets "will be exercised."

In June, Qatar Airways confirmed an order for 20 Boeing 737 jets and said at the time it was waiting on next steps in its possible expansions in Italy and India before deciding whether to exercise further options.

Last year, Qatar Airways signed a letter of intent for as many as 60 narrowbody 737 jets, worth $6.9 billion at list prices.

Qatar Airways has pressed efforts to expand despite a trade dispute with U.S. airlines that have accused the Middle Eastern carrier of improperly relying on government subsidies. Qatar Airways has also had to contend with fallout from a boycott against Qatar by four Arab nations that cut ties in June.
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Qatar Airways junks plan to buy stake in American Airlines

Qatar Airways announced it has dropped plans to buy a 10-percent stake in American Airlines, as Doha remains embroiled in a diplomatic row with its neighbours.

A review of the planned move "demonstrated that the investment no longer meets our objectives," the company said in a statement, without elaborating.

The Qatari airline's surprise plan to buy at least $808 million in American Airlines shares was disclosed by the US carrier in a securities filing June 23.

The Qatari carrier said it would "continue to investigate alternative investment opportunities in the United States of America and elsewhere that do meet our objectives."

The announcement comes as Qatar remains embroiled in the worst regional crisis in years.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and its allies including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of backing extremist groups and being too close to Riyadh's arch-rival Iran.

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