Doha: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Katar Airways issued a “record” order for 160 aircraft at Boeing as he signed a series of deals with Katar’s Emir.
The White House said the order was Boeing’s largest wide-body aircraft ever, deepening ties between the American Airlines giant and the giant Middle East airline.
According to the White House Factbook, Qatar Airways will honor a “$96 billion deal that will receive up to 210 US-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777 times the aircraft powered by GE Aerospace Engines.”
“This is Boeing’s largest wide order ever and the largest 787 order ever,” it said.
Comprehensive details about this order. Boeing declined to comment immediately.
The order represents a victory for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, although analysts noted that the aircraft will not be delivered for at least five years due to the industry backlog.
Boeing and rival Airbus have both sold widely to Qatar Airways and have struggled with supply chain issues in recent years as they have taken thousands of orders for aircraft amid strong airline demand. Boeing is also plagued by safety and labor issues, with limited production.
Ortberg joined Trump in Wednesday’s signing ceremony, which included the defense agreement and the purchase of Qatar with US MQ-9B drone, held about two hours of talks with Katar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani of Katar.
“It’s over $200 billion in the jet side, but $160 in the jet side. It’s a record, it’s a record, it’s the biggest order for jets in Boeing history. It’s good.”
The list price of the 777X and 787 Dreamliner shows that the total value of the Boeing transaction is less than $200 billion. The $96 billion figure at the White House Factsheet also appears to include some of GE Aerospace’s operations.
