Qatar Airways orders 160 Boeing planes during Trump visit

Qatar Airways, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, placed a record order for 160 planes from Boeing during United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf Arab country.

The deal for Boeing 777X and 787 planes with GE Aerospace engines was worth $96 billion, according to the White House.

It is a win for Trump on a high-profile visit to the region, even though it will be years before the planes are delivered.

The order, which the White House said was Boeing’s largest ever for wide-body jets, deepens ties between the United States 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”, a White House fact sheet said.

“This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order,” it said.

Comprehensive details about the order were not available, while 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.

Democrats threaten to delay appointments as Qatar gifts Trump $400m jet

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.

Trump said: “It’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the jets. That’s fantastic. So that’s a record.

“It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good.”

The list prices of the 777X and 787 Dreamliner suggest the total value of the Boeing deal is well under $200 billion, Reuters reported.

The $96 billion figure in the White House factsheet also appears to include some business for GE Aerospace.

Relations between the United States Qatar have been in the spotlight over Qatar’s offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.

The Star