Qatar Airways introduces high-density all-economy Airbus A321neos for short regional routes

Madinah will be the first city served by these all-economy jets, with flights starting on October 16. Other destinations including Multan, Peshawar, and Sharjah will follow later in October, Sialkot in early November, and Tbilisi at the start of January. A spokesperson for Qatar Airways commented: "By integrating these extra A321neo aircraft, ahead of our new aircraft deliveries next year (...) we are better positioned to meet customer demand and strengthen our competitive edge."

This change marks a notable difference compared to Qatar Airways' current narrowbody fleet, which typically includes some business class seating. For example, its Boeing 737 MAX 8s seat up to 176 passengers across two classes—60 fewer than the planned capacity for the all-economy A321neos. The airline had previously considered operating larger Boeing MAX 10s but canceled that order earlier this year.

The decision to use high-density seating appears tailored for short-haul routes; according to Cirium data cited in industry reports, none of the initial destinations exceed about 1,500 miles from Doha.

Qatar Airways operates a total fleet of 269 aircraft based on ch-aviation data. Of these, only 35 are narrowbodies—27 Airbus A320s and eight Boeing 737 MAX 8s (the latter currently inactive). The remainder are widebody jets such as Airbus A330s and A350s as well as Boeing’s long-haul models like the 777 and Dreamliner families.