Boeing, Qatar Airways announce order for five 777s

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Business & Investment in Qatar Forum in New York in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, US Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood and the US Ambassador to Qatar, Ambassador Joseph LeBaron.

The agreement was signed by Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways' CEO and Tony Valentine, sales director, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The forum, of which Boeing is one of the sponsors, is held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Hamad and aims to promote Qatar's emerging role as a political, economic and cultural hub in the Middle East.

Qatar Airways has made a significant commitment to the 777, an airplane which has become the flagship of our fleet, said Akbar Al Baker in a statement.

As the State of Qatar and other parts of the region are growing at a phenomenal pace, we are well positioned to take advantage of this growth, he further added.

Currently, Qatar Airways operates eight ultra-long range 777-200LR, 15 777-300ERs and two long-range 777 freighters.