Qatar Airways Retires A330 Fleet and Seconds Pilots to RwandAir

Qatar Airways retired its entire Airbus A330 passenger fleet and seconded a group of pilots to RwandAir, the national carrier of Rwanda. The airline took this action to contain costs following a doubling of jet fuel prices and operational disruptions caused by the prolonged war in Iran, which began after US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Passenger-carrying capacity at the airline has fallen 10% compared to a year ago. As part of the fleet reduction, the company ceased plans to operate four A330s leased from Oman Air, some of which remain parked in Spain and Qatar. Qatar Airways will also return two A330s to the lessor Jetran in October.

Despite these immediate cuts to less fuel-efficient aircraft, the airline continues to pursue long-term growth. It currently has 410 aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus to modernize its fleet through the 2030s.