Qatar Airways has fully retired its Airbus A330 passenger jets, a move accelerated by the prolonged Iran war that has disrupted Gulf aviation and driven up jet fuel prices. The airline had leased four A330 jets from Oman Air last year but they never entered service. The retirement of the A330 fleet is the latest sign of the impact of soaring fuel costs on the aviation industry.
The Iran war has had a significant impact on airlines globally, particularly in the Middle East aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha. The conflict has resulted in a doubling of jet fuel prices since the war began, making it less attractive to operate older jets. Qatar Airways has longstanding ties with RwandAir, and a group of pilots have been seconded to the Rwandan flag carrier. The secondments offer valuable flying opportunities for pilots while supporting the operational requirements of both airlines.
The A330 fleet made up 7% of Qatar Airways' passenger total in March, according to company data. The airline operates a mixed Airbus and Boeing fleet of 239 passenger jets and 30 freighters. Qatar Airways expects to receive 138 new aircraft in the next five years, including 19 new aeroplane deliveries planned between September 2026 and the end of 2027.
The war has affected airlines globally, but particularly the Middle East aviation hubs. Flight volumes have recovered to near pre-war levels, but passenger capacity has fallen. Qatar Airways' seven-day average available seat kilometres was 10% lower than a year ago, according to Cirium Ascend. The airline is on average operating 12% fewer flights vs a year ago and using 4% fewer aeroplanes.
Analysts said older aeroplanes such as the out-of-production A330 operated by Qatar Airways would have been phased out by now but have remained in service longer than expected due to manufacturing delays and high post-Covid-19 travel demand. Now, surging oil prices have made it less attractive to operate older jets, with global A330-200 and A330-300 flight operations down by about 12% from September 2025.
Qatar Airways has a total of 410 aeroplanes still on order from Boeing and Airbus, including 160 announced during a visit to the emirate by US President Donald Trump in May last year. The airline continues to take delivery of new jets, including two large wide-body jets, each from Airbus and Boeing, this year.
RwandAir, which has a codeshare agreement with Qatar, received the first of five expected A330 jets in August. The secondment of just more than a dozen staff to RwandAir would ensure pilots trained to fly A330s can continue flying. Qatar Airways' fleet renewal plans are on track, with the airline planning to return to capacity and network growth by 2027.
Key points
- Qatar Airways has fully retired its Airbus A330 passenger jets due to the impact of the Iran war on Gulf aviation and soaring fuel costs.
- The airline has seconded a group of pilots to RwandAir, offering valuable flying opportunities while supporting operational requirements.
- Qatar Airways expects to receive 138 new aircraft in the next five years, with 19 new deliveries planned between September 2026 and the end of 2027.
