Qatar Airways Urges Boeing and Airbus to Accept Aircraft Delivery Delays

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Qatar Airways is reportedly requesting Boeing and Airbus to delay the delivery of aircraft. Given that airlines are facing overall difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is argued that manufacturers should share the burden with their customers.

According to Bloomberg on the 2nd (local time), Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, stated in an interview that day, "Boeing and Airbus should postpone aircraft deliveries by at least two years," and added, "Boeing and Airbus must show an attitude of standing with their customers during difficult times." Previously, Qatar Airways had placed orders worth $50 billion (approximately 61 trillion KRW) for passenger and cargo aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

CEO Al Baker emphasized that most airlines are facing very difficult management conditions due to the COVID-19 crisis, saying, "If they do not accept this, they will lose customers forever." He also stated, "We are negotiating with these aircraft manufacturers to delay deliveries, and if negotiations fail, we may cancel the orders entirely."

CEO Al Baker predicted that the largest model, the A380 passenger aircraft, with 10 units, will not be able to operate due to a lack of passengers until mid-next year, and that normal operations before COVID-19 will not be restored until 2023. As passenger demand has sharply contracted due to COVID-19, Emirates Airlines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also revealed in an interview with Bloomberg last month that it is considering canceling orders for five Airbus A380 passenger aircraft.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.