Qatar Airways Places $96 Billion Order For 160 Boeing 787s & 777Xs During Trump Visit

Donald Trump has confirmed that Qatar Airways has signed for 160 Boeing widebody aircraft. The deal, announced in Qatar during the US President's ongoing trip to the Middle East, is said to be worth about $96 billion.

Boeing's Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg, was also present as part of a delegation traveling with the President to the Middle East. Bloomberg reports that the agreement signed with Boeing covers as many as 210 widebody planes, including both the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777X models.

The Latest Order

The order covers 130 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 30 Boeing 777Xs. According to Bloomberg sources, the deal also includes 50 options for either of the two models. With options included, the order means Qatar could be expecting up to 210 new widebody planes as of today, in addition to existing orders.

Donald Trump revealed the accord at a press conference on Wednesday. He said:

"Kelly's telling me from Boeing that it's the largest order of jets in the History of Boeing. That's pretty good. [...] That's a record, Kelly, and congratulations to Boeing. Get those planes out there, get them out there."

Boeing shares subsequently rose after the agreement's announcement, up 3.1%, reaching their highest in 15 months. In a statement, Boeing confirmed the order and noted that it would support 400,000 US jobs. Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said:

"We are deeply honored that Qatar Airways has placed this record-breaking order with Boeing, one that solidifies their future fleet with our market-leading widebody airplane family at its center. Our team is looking forward to building 787s and 777s for Qatar Airways into the next decade as they connect more people and businesses around the world with unmatched efficiency and comfort."

For its part, Qatar Airways described the order as a "critical next step" allowing it to maintain a clean, young, and efficient fleet. The order will also enable the airline to meet the "strong demand" for the carrier's operations. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer had the following to say about what is its largest order in its history.

"After two consecutive years of record-breaking commercial performance and with this historic Boeing aircraft order we're not simply chasing scale, we're building strength that will allow us to continue to deliver our unmatched products and customer experiences. We thank our Boeing partners for answering the call and look forward to a future of continued smart growth together."

Solidifying Boeing's Qatari Presence

The White House also confirmed the information from the press conference in a release earlier today. It described it as a "landmark order from Qatar Airways." It continued:

"This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order. This historic agreement will support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually, totaling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal."

The latest agreement means that Boeing's presence in the Qatari fleet is here to stay. While the national carrier already operates several Boeing models, it also has Airbus aircraft. Bloomberg reports that Qatar Airways is also considering an order for a "smaller number" of Airbus A350 aircraft that could be announced at the upcoming Paris Air Show in June.

Regardless, the latest deal means Boeing will likely be Qatar's primary supplier of long-haul planes—at least for now. According to data from ch-aviation, Qatar Airways' passenger widebody fleet looks as follows.

*The 130 additional orders for the Boeing 787 family are not reflected here as it is not yet clear whether they refer to the 787-8 or -9 variants.

Collecting Orders

This week, Trump made his way to the Middle East on what is his first foreign trip since taking office for his second term. He began with a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he landed on Tuesday. Earlier this morning, the President landed in Qatar where he was greeted with a welcome ceremony of camels. His motorcade was also escorted through the streets of Doha by red cybertrucks.

Trump's Middle East trip has so far been a great help to Boeing, slowly recovering from the effects of the Trump trade war that caused China to ban all Boeing deliveries until further notice. Earlier this week, China lifted the ban.

Trump's visit has prompted two major aircraft orders so far. The first was announced yesterday when Saudi Arabia placed an order for 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft during the President's visit. The planes are destined for aircraft lessor, AviLease, set up by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

The second, today, furthers Boeing's position in the region and is a testament to the government's support for the company despite recent criticism. More specifically, Trump attacked Boeing for delays faced by the delivery of the new pair of Air Force One jets that it anticipates delivering around 2027, far beyond the original timeline that would have seen the keys handed over last year. It was revealed earlier this week that Trump was considering accepting a luxury Boeing 747-8 aircraft from the Qatari Royal Family to serve as the interim Air Force One.