US President Donald Trump said Wednesday Qatar Airways had placed a “record” order for 160 planes from Boeing, as he signed a raft of deals in Doha alongside Qatar’s emir.
The order, which the White House said was Boeing’s largest ever for wide-body jets, deepens ties between the US aerospace giant and the giant Middle East carrier.
Qatar Airways will honour a “$96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines”, according to a White House fact sheet.
“This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order,” it said.
Comprehensive details about the order were not available. Boeing declined immediate comment.
The order represents a win for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, although analysts noted that the planes won’t be delivered for at least five years due to industry backlogs.
Both Boeing and rival Airbus, which has also sold extensively to Qatar Airways, have struggled in recent years with supply chain problems as they have taken thousands of plane orders amid strong airline demand. Boeing has also been beset with safety and labour problems that have limited output.
Ortberg joined Trump for part of Wednesday’s signing ceremony that also included defence agreements and the purchase by Qatar of American MQ-9B drones, after about two hours of talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
