Qatar’s national carrier Qatar Airways has sealed an acquisition deal of five Boeing 777 cargos for a cost put at $1.7 billion, Reuters reports.
The deal was signed in England during Farnborough Airshow.
The future delivery will add to already existing 13 Boeing 777 freighters and additional other two Boeing 744-8 freighters.
The airline is currently facing a regional blockade imposed by Qatar’s neighbors namely Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain plus Egypt since June last year. The boycotting countries accuse the tiny gas-rich country of supporting terrorism.
In face of the blockade, the airline has been flying longer distances as it has been banned from the airspaces of the boycotting countries. The longer distances entailed an increase in fuel costs, generating significant losses for the airline.
However, the carrier, which will be the main airline for the 2022 FIFA world Cup to take place in Qatar, is confident to overturn the setbacks as it plans new routes.
In March, the airline announced 16 new destinations to be launched in 2018-19: Luxembourg; London Gatwick; Cardiff, Wales; Lisbon, Portugal; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Cebu and Davao in the Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum, Antalya, and Hatay, Turkey; Mykonos and Thessaloniki, Greece; and Málaga, Spain, online media AINonline reports.
