Qatar Airways 100-Planes Deal is Biggest in its History, CEO Says

Washington, October 09 (QNA) - CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker said that the deal to order up to 100 Boeing planes worth $18.6 billion is the biggest in the company's 19-year history. Speaking at a press conference held by Boeing to discuss the deal, Al Baker said that Qatar Airways have ordered 30 787-9 Dreamliners and 10 777-300ERs, valued at $11.7 billion. The airline also signed a Letter of Intent for up to 60 737 MAX 8s, valued at $6.9 billion, he added. The press conference was attended by HE Minister of Finance Ali Shareef Al Emadi, who is also Qatar Airways' chairman, HE Qatar's Ambassador in Washington D.C. Mohammad Jaham Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken all attended the press conference. Al Baker signed the deal with CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Ray Conner during the press conference. On relations with Boeing, Al Baker said that they were renewed in 2006. Since then, there have been many milestones in the partnership. The airline was the first to operate the 787 in the Middle East and is a launch customer for the 777X. With the commitment for the 737 MAX 8. Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Al Baker discussed baggage safety and said the airline was continuously working on enhancing security on its flights by investing in state of the art equipment that guarantee thorough investigation of baggage. On the airline's expansion in the US market, Al Baker said that the latter was one of the most important markets to Qatar Airways due to its diversity in terms of nationalities and destinations. He highlighted that the strong competition in the market helped Qatar Airways maintain its edge, as the airline has never finished below the top five ranking of best airlines over the past 10 years. When asked to confirm reports that the EXIM bank rejected a financing request from Qatar Airways, Al Baker dismissed those reports saying that the airline has a strong balance sheet and as a result rarely needs to go to capital markets to finance a deal. For his part, Conner said that the partnership between Qatar Airways and Boeing reflected the former's confidence in Boeings new technology present in the 777X and 737 MAX. He added that the deal was a new milestone in the two companies' partnership, highlighting that it will provide 104,000 job opportunities in the US commercial airplanes industry. Meanwhile US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker welcomed the deal in a statement read in the press conference. She noted that the agreement demonstrated the importance of global commercial partnerships in strengthening bilateral ties between the US and Qatar. (QNA)