The Qatar Airways Fleet In 2024

Last year, we examined the status of the Qatar Airways fleet. A lot has changed for the airline in the past 12 months, so it was essential to review it again to see the aircraft in the Qatari national flag carrier’s portfolio in 2024.

Widebodies

Let’s begin our review by examining Qatar Airways’ flagship wide-bodied aircraft. They are typically used on flights over 7 hours. Some readers will observe that widebodies operate intra-gulf routes like Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dubai despite being short-haul. We explained this in a previous article, but this is due to the region’s high passenger traffic and cargo demand.

A350

Qatar Airways has a diverse fleet of widebodies today, and the numbers have remained stable over the past year. The flagship aircraft is the A350 family, of which QR was a launch customer for the two variants.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

According to Planespotters.net, the fleet has 56 A350s in service today. Those correspond to 32 A350-900s and 24 A350-1000s. All A350-1000s are now back in service after being grounded for a few years following a now-resolved dispute with Airbus.

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Both are in a two-class configuration. All the A350-1000s feature the airline’s flagship Qsuites, whereas most of the -900s do not, so bear that in mind if you are booking an A350-operated flight. Routes operated by this type include LAX, Edinburgh, and London.

A380

Photo: Arseniy Shemyakin Photo | Shutterstock

Of course, Qatar is also one of the very few airlines to have taken the A380 back into service. The airline previously operated ten behemoth superjumbos, only 6 of which are back in service, with a 7th listed as stored and whose fate remains determined. This aircraft was the fleet’s flagship, offering first class onboard. The superjumbo can be flown on routes to Paris (in the winter), London, Perth, Bangkok, and Sydney.

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A330

The A330 is an interesting aircraft in the fleet. It was not supposed to be back in the fleet, as it was mothballed due to the pandemic. However, between 2022 and 2023, 10 units were reactivated—3 A330-200s and seven 300s. They can be seen mainly on routes to South Asia like Cochin and lower-demand European routes like Toulouse.

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The Boeing sub-fleet

777

Next up is the Boeing 777 family of aircraft, of which the airline currently operates 92 across the group, including the 777F. They have 57 777-300ERs, seven 777-200LRs, and 28 777Fs in service today. Most 777-200LRs have a QSuite onboard, and so do most 777-300ERS.

Photo: Lukas Wunderlich | Shutterstock

However, the airline has taken delivery of former Cathay Pacific 777-300ers. Still, it operates some unrefurbished 777-300ERs, so this could lead to an equipment swap without QSuite, something to bear in mind, as most of the flights that feature this new product are operated by the type. Routes operated by the 777 include Paris, Amsterdam, and Kuala Lumpur.

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787

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

Further, in the Boeing jet, the airline operates a fleet of 787s. Qatar Airways operates 48 of them. They are spread across the more recently delivered 787-9s, with 16 in operation today, and the 787-8 with 29 in the fleet. None of the 787s have a QSuite, although the 787-9 has an enclosed seat nicknamed by travelers the “QSuite Lite.”

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The regional fleet.

Airbus A320

Qatar Airways also has a considerable regional narrowbody fleet. It operates flights within the golf and very low-demand European routes like Athens and some Central Asian airports like Tashkent.

The core of this fleet is the A320 family. This year’s figures show that it solely operates A320ceos, of which 29 are in the fleet. A320s naturally do not feature QSuite; in fact, they technically do not have business class, as on most of the GCC routes they fly to, the forward few rows are marketed as first class. They consist of a few rows of recliner-style chairs.

Boeing 737

Until recently, QR’s modern fleet in the regional flight sectors was solely the A320 family. However, the Qatari airline recently took a handful of 737 MAX 8 units from sanctioned Russian airline S7.

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Some readers may know that QR needed more time to retrofit these aircraft, which still fully have their S7 style interior – only with updated colors to blend into the Gulf carrier’s brand identity. These aircraft offer a suitable stop-gap while the airline waits for their 737 MAX 10 orders to be fulfilled.

Bottom Line

From the 737 MAX to the A380, Qatar Airways’ fleet in 2024 will be among the most diverse in the Middle East. This fleet of nearly 300 jets will continue to allow the airline to serve destinations across the globe.