Qatar Airways’ Chief Akbar Al Baker has a warning for Airbus and Boeing: allow us to defer orders or we will never do business with you again.
Qatar Airways Has Many Aircraft On Orders
Despite a young fleet, COVID-19, and limited growth even prior to it due to the Gulf blockade, Qatar Airways has many aircraft on order.
Boeing
- 777X – 60
- 787-9 – 23
- 777 freighter – 5
Airbus
- A321neo – 50
- A350-100 -27
Qatar Airways sees value in its diverse fleet, but with depressed demand and also space constraints since it expects to park at least 20% of its fleet and predicts 2019 demand will not return until 2023-2024.
Qatar Airways Wants Airbus + Boeing To Allow Order Deferrals
With that in mind, outspoken Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has a warning for Airbus and Boeing.
Speaking to Reuters, Al Baker said:
“We are negotiating with both Boeing and Airbus to fulfill our requirement to defer and we hope that both the manufacturers will oblige. They have no other alternative to oblige and if they make it difficult to oblige we will keep them in mind and we will not do business with them again.”
He made similar comments in a follow-up interview with Bloomberg:
“What is important is for Boeing and Airbus to show their customers that they are not only there with them in good times, but also in bad. If they don’t oblige, they will permanently lose us as a customer.”
CONCLUSION
I love how feisty Al Baker can be, but talk about a non-credible threat. Will Qatar Airways start buying Chinese or Russian-made aircraft if it no longer does business with Airbus and Boeing? Those two, for better or for worse, are the two games in town.
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo // image: Qatar Airways)
gooood…… I endorse Qatar cutting BOTH Airbus and Boeing off, and have to resort to having a fleet resemble a super-sized version of Cubana
Cool, maybe Baker can build an all Bombardier fleet and squeeze people onto CRJ’s for long haul.
Baker could still obtain Boeing/Airbus planes through leasing companies. His statement referred to not doing business with them again. It did not say he would never use their products.
Can he completely abandon all forms of business with them though? As the OEM surely there will be a need for at least some sort of commercial relationship to be maintained?
You see this as a binary equation, but there are other permutations. With 70+ orders with each manufacturer, and all wide bodies, he has leverage. One or the other will likely concede and that’s really all he needs. The other manufacturer will be forced to follow.
It’s worth trying.
Not too mention – the opportunity to purchase used or extra planes from other airlines or airlines that go under.
Until recently we had domestic Airlines still flying planes from the 80s and 90s. I imagine that we could have a glut of planes for years to come – even with A380, 757, A340, etc retirements.
Qatar has their fingers in multiple airlines as well.
A hollow threat. What other aircraft manufacturer can Qatar turn to for their long-haul fleet renewal?
Hahahaha ,and then?will you buy from Bombardier? (Nothing against it,but I know how he likes to show off,so he won’t fit a Qsuite inside a Bombardier) I hope they will reject his request that arrogant man, pretty sure that they will kinda sign an agreement that QR will pay later or something like that to keep money running into QR for now while they are planning in terminate not less than 3000CC and some pilots ( don’t know the numbers yet)
Akbar Al Baker is a good business man,but a very bad boss….
Al Baker makes noise posturing and gesturing trying as ever to get his own way.
Nothing new to see here, move along and expect to fly on a Comac in future.