Qatar Airways has decided to cancel its order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft, as confirmed by the airline's Chief Executive Officer, Badr Al-Meer, in an interview with Bloomberg. The decision comes amidst a recent $96 billion order for 160 Boeing 787 and 777X jets.
Initial discussions about the potential cancellation emerged in December. Sources indicated that the aircraft no longer met Qatar Airways' fleet requirements. There was speculation that the airline might switch its order to the Boeing 737 MAX 8, but it ultimately opted for a complete cancellation. The order was initially placed at the Farnborough Air Show in 2022, where Stan Deal, then-President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, described the plane as "ideally suited for Qatar Airways' regional network."
With this cancellation, Qatar Airways is turning back to Airbus for its short-haul strategy. The airline currently has only narrowbody planes from Airbus on order, specifically 50 Airbus A321neos yet to be delivered.