Qatar Airways’ Oldest Active Aircraft

With 235 aircraft listed as being part of the Qatar Airways fleet, the airline continues to take delivery of new Boeing aircraft in the form of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. But which aircraft are on the opposite end of the age-spectrum and are the airline’s oldest active jets? Let’s take a look!

The oldest aircraft (and sub-fleet)

The single oldest airframe still active with Qatar Airways is an Airbus A330-300 registered A7-AED (MSN 680). According to Planespotters.net, this aircraft is now 17-and-a-half years old, having been delivered to the airline in August 2005. Powered by two GE CF6 engines, this aircraft is configured to seat a total of 305 passengers: 30 in business class, and another 275 in economy.

According to data from ch-aviation.com, this aircraft is owned not by the airline, but by JP Lease Products & Services, and managed by Arena Aviation Capital. With a current estimated market value of $16.53 million, the airframe has accumulated 76,365 flight hours across 15,792 cycles, as of October 31st, 2022.

A7-AED is the airline’s very oldest aircraft but the remainder of Qatar Airways’ Airbus A330 fleet is also nearly as old. The A330 fleet, which includes both -300s and -200s, has an overall average age of nearly 16-and-a-half years. The airline operates five A330-200s and another seven A330-300s. At the time of this article’s publication, all 12 aircraft are listed as active.

“” data-img-url=”https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/qatar_airways_airbus_a330-300_a7-aej.jpeg” data-modal-container-id=”single-image-modal-container” data-modal-id=”single-image-modal”>

The oldest Boeing jets

Unsurprisingly, the oldest Boeing aircraft flying for Qatar Airways are 777-300ERs, since the only other Boeing passenger aircraft type is the 787 Dreamliner. A7-BAA (MSN 36009, line number 676) is the oldest 777-300ER airframe, which has an age of just over 15 years. The aircraft was delivered to Qatar Airways directly from Boeing in November 2007.

Powered by a pair of General Electric GE90 powerplants, this aircraft is configured to seat 358 passengers. More specifically, the jet seats 42 in business class and another 316 in economy. Another leased aircraft, the jet is owned and managed by a firm called Magi Aviation Capital and has an estimated current market value of $29.97 million. Interestingly, ch-aviation data lists this aircraft’s “confirmed lease end date” as February 1st, 2023. As of July 31st, 2022, the airframe had accumulated 75,246 flight hours across 11,664 cycles.

While Qatar Airways operates these older 777s, it’s worth mentioning that it also operates many younger 777-300ERs as well. Indeed, the youngest 777s flying for the airline are just four-and-a-half years of age.

 via Wikimedia Commons“” data-img-url=”https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1280px-qr_qtr_qatar_airways_boeing_777_a7-baa_-26496368986.jpeg” data-modal-container-id=”single-image-modal-container” data-modal-id=”single-image-modal”>

A “young fleet” reputation

With Qatar Airways’ decision to stop accepting new A350s from Airbus, the average age of the fleet continues to slowly go up. Indeed, the carrier’s “Our Fleet” webpage is clearly out of date as on its website it states:

However, the average age of the airline’s fleet is now about eight years – although this includes its 747 and 777 freighters – most of which bring down the average age. Without these freighters, the average age of passenger aircraft would be higher.

What do you think of the Qatar Airways fleet? Have you flown on any of Qatar Airways’ Airbus A330s? Share your experiences by leaving a comment!

Sources: Planespotters.net, ch-aviation.com