Qatar Airways quits the Boeing 737 MAX after just 2 years as new Airbus A321neos arrive
December 10, 2025
Qatar Airways’ short-lived dalliance with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 appears to have come to an end. After just two years of operating the type, the last of the carrier’s nine aircraft has just left the fleet, leaving the airline with an exclusively Airbus-based single-aisle fleet.
Qatar Airways and the Boeing 737 MAX 8
Doha-based Qatar Airways first became involved with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in April 2023 when it announced the acquisition of nine aircraft originally destined for Russia’s S7 Airlines.
With the imposition of export sanctions to Russia following that country’s invasion of Ukraine, delivery of the aircraft to S7 was no longer permitted, and they remained with Boeing until a new operator could be found.
At the start of 2023, Qatar Airways took the aircraft on to give its single-aisle fleet a boost and expand its short-haul route network. The aircraft were delivered to the carrier between April and May 2023, according to ch-aviation.
Qatar Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8, A7-BSA in BOM while operating for IndiGo, Feb 2025 pic.twitter.com/tJcUimpmim
— Hpaals (@HPaals) November 18, 2025
However, following a change in strategy at the airline, the aircraft were soon found to be surplus to requirements. The planes were initially parked before being leased to IndiGo Airlines. The Indian carrier took all nine airframes on staggered lease agreements from Qatar Airways between July 2024 and the middle of 2025.
Upon their return to Qatar Airways, some operated for Qatar Airways on short flights around the Gulf region, while all were later placed in storage pending disposal.
Disposal of the nine aircraft is now complete
According to Planespotters.net, three of the aircraft have now found their way to Royal Air Maroc in Morocco. These aircraft retain their Qatar Airways two-class interiors, seating eight passengers in business class and 168 in economy.
Another two aircraft are due to join the Casablanca-based carrier shortly.
Another three aircraft are stored at Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland, with the last remaining aircraft departing Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) on 1 December as flight QR3254, also heading to the Irish airport.
The departure of this last aircraft leaves the carrier without any Boeing 737s and ends the saga of the company’s relationship with the type.
Qatar Airways’ turbulent relationship with the 737 MAX
Qatar Airways has had an unusual relationship with the Boeing 737 MAX series over the years. In July 2022, at that year’s Farnborough Air Show, the company announced an order with Boeing for 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft, the largest variant in the 737 MAX family, with options for 25 more.
Seating up to 230 passengers and with a range of 3,300 nautical miles, the 737 MAX 10 was intended to operate medium-haul flights from Doha.
“We are honoured that Qatar Airways has decided to add Boeing’s single-aisle family to its fleet, deepening our relationship with this world-class airline,” said Stan Deal, then the Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO at the time of the order.
“The 737-10 is ideally suited for Qatar Airways’ regional network and will provide the carrier with the most capable, most fuel-efficient aircraft in its class.”
The order for the MAX 10s came during a period in which the relationship between Qatar Airways and Airbus had soured, with the former instigating a $600 million legal claim against the European aircraft manufacturer over quality issues surrounding several A350 jets destined for Qatar Airways.
The MAX 10 era ended before it began
However, the airline’s relationship with the 737 MAX would not endure over time. In June of this year, the carrier confirmed to Bloomberg that it had cancelled the entire order for the MAX 10s, citing certification delays with the type, which is not expected to enter airline service until late 2026.
Instead, the carrier has turned to Airbus to meet its future short-haul needs, committing to the 50 A321neos that the carrier had ordered before the 2022 legal spat.
The first A321neo for Qatar Airways pushing back in Doha. The first batch of NEOs taken by Qatar were initially intended for Air Asia and feature an all-economy configuration. https://t.co/9EMgWHWwMC © Abdurahman N. pic.twitter.com/7lLAdhbp1y
— JetPhotos (@JetPhotos) October 23, 2025
The first batch of these aircraft has already been arriving with the carrier over recent months, with the first two arriving in September, followed by one in October and three in November. One of the aircraft, A7-AJD, has already been leased out to IndiGo.
The aircraft now being delivered to Qatar Airways were originally destined for AirAsia but were not taken up by that carrier, allowing the airframes to be transferred to Qatar Airways.
The future of Qatar Airways’ short-haul flights lies with Airbus
With the Boeing 737 MAX 10 no longer coming to Qatar Airways and the MAX 8s having left the fleet, it now appears that the future for single-aisle aircraft in the company’s fleet lies solely with Airbus.
While the airline does still operate Boeing products in the form of 64 Boeing 777-300ERs and 57 787 Dreamliners, Airbus aircraft also feature heavily, with the airline operating the A320 (27), A321 (6), A330 (15), A350 (62) and A380 (8).
Featured image: Qatar Airways
