EXCLUSIVE: Qatar Airways retires idle A330s and sends pilots to RwandAir as Iran war drags - Reuters
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Qatar Airways has retired its Airbus A330 fleet and seconded pilots to RwandAir as Gulf carriers struggle with soaring fuel costs triggered by the Iran war. The move reflects a broader trend among Middle Eastern airlines to ground less fuel-efficient older aircraft amid weakened demand and rising operational pressures.
EXCLUSIVE: Qatar Airways retires idle A330s and sends pilots to RwandAir as Iran war drags | Reuters
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EXCLUSIVE
Qatar Airways retires idle A330s and sends pilots to RwandAir as Iran war drags
By Joanna Plucinska, Alessandro Parodi and Gianluca Lo Nostro
September 25, 20264:40 AM CDTUpdated 2 hours ago
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!Qatar Airways seconds pilots as carriers adapt to Iran war hit
* Summary
* Companies
* Qatar lends some dozen A330-trained staff to RwandAir
* Two leased A330s parked in Doha will return to Jetran in October
* Qatar plans 6 aircraft exits, 19 new deliveries until end-2027
* Gulf, global carriers contending with Iran war, high jet fuel costs
LONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has retired its last Airbus A330 passenger jets and seconded some pilots to Rwanda's flag carrier as the prolonged Iran war disrupts Gulf aviation and accelerates the global phase-out of older jets, according to two people with knowledge of the matter and data reviewed by Reuters.
The move is the latest sign of the impact of a doubling of jet fuel prices since the war began, ending an industry-wide scramble for older jets to meet post-COVID travel demand.
The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a "Real or Fake?" quiz in every edition. Sign up here.
Qatar Airways leased four Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab wide-body A330 jets from Oman Air last year and planned to keep flying them through 2026, but the aircraft never entered commercial service, the people said. The carrier has now fully retired its A330 fleet.
One of the A330s was acquired earlier this year by Rwandan flag carrier RwandAir. Qatar Airways has longstanding ties to the airline and the people said a group of pilots, some of whom had not flown commercially since the start of the war, have been seconded to RwandAir.
The secondments and details of the fleet retirements have not previously been reported.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson said it was normal for the airline to regularly review its fleet, "retiring older aircraft and introducing newer, more efficient aircraft as they are delivered". In the next five years it expects to receive 138 new aircraft, the spokesperson added.
The carrier operates a mixed Airbus and Boeing fleet of 239 passenger jets and 30 freighters, according to the company. A330s made up 7% of the passenger total, as of March, according to company data.
"A group of Qatar Airways A330 pilots are being offered a voluntary short-term secondment opportunity with RwandAir," the Qatar Airways spokesperson said, adding the scheme offered valuable flying opportunities for pilots while supporting the operational requirements of both airlines, without saying how long the secondment would last.
COSTS SPIKE AS WAR CONTINUES
The war has impacted airlines globally but particularly the Middle East aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha following the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, although flight volumes have recovered to near pre-war levels.
By grounding the less fuel-efficient and older A330 fleet, Qatar is containing jet fuel costs. Parking the planes is substantially cheaper than flying them at current high oil prices, analysts said.
The remaining aircraft Qatar Airways leased from Oman Air are parked either in Teruel, Spain, or in Doha, according to flight tracking data, and have remained parked in recent months, as the Iran war has dragged on. Two of the A330s parked in Doha, which Qatar is leasing from aircraft lessor Jetran, will be returned to the lessor in October.
PASSENGER CAPACITY FALLS
Analysts said older planes like 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 travel demand.
Workers stand at the entrance of a Qatar Airways aircraft parked at Teruel Airport in Spain, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
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, according to seven-day averages calculated by Cirium Ascend, which tracks global fleet movements.
Cirium data shows there are overall some 801 active A330-200 and A330-300 jets globally. A total of 1,437 of the two models were built and delivered, Airbus data show. Those early models of A330 are no longer in production.
Qatar's operational headache has been compounded by widespread disruption to Gulf carriers since the war began and the loss of some transit passengers to competing hubs.
"Middle East carriers are not flying the aircraft as much because of restrictions on the use of airspace there," IBA's head of consulting Dan Taylor said earlier this month.
As of September, Qatar Airways' seven-day average available seat kilometres (ASK) - the industry's standard measure of passenger-carrying capacity - was 10% lower than a year ago, according to Cirium Ascend, compared with a 10% decline at Emirates and flat global industry capacity.
Qatar Airways is on average operating 12% fewer flights versus a year ago, and using 4% fewer planes, although it is on track to return to capacity and network growth by 2027, Cirium said.
FLEET RENEWAL PLANS
While short-term demand has weakened, Qatar still expects growth to resume once regional disruption eases and will soon start recruiting pilots for newer aircraft, it said.
The secondment of just over a dozen staff to RwandAir would ensure pilots trained to fly A330s can continue flying
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EXCLUSIVE
Qatar Airways retires idle A330s and sends pilots to RwandAir as Iran war drags
By Joanna Plucinska, Alessandro Parodi and Gianluca Lo Nostro
September 25, 20264:40 AM CDTUpdated 2 hours ago
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
!Qatar Airways seconds pilots as carriers adapt to Iran war hit
* Summary
* Companies
* Qatar lends some dozen A330-trained staff to RwandAir
* Two leased A330s parked in Doha will return to Jetran in October
* Qatar plans 6 aircraft exits, 19 new deliveries until end-2027
* Gulf, global carriers contending with Iran war, high jet fuel costs
LONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has retired its last Airbus A330 passenger jets and seconded some pilots to Rwanda's flag carrier as the prolonged Iran war disrupts Gulf aviation and accelerates the global phase-out of older jets, according to two people with knowledge of the matter and data reviewed by Reuters.
The move is the latest sign of the impact of a doubling of jet fuel prices since the war began, ending an industry-wide scramble for older jets to meet post-COVID travel demand.
The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a "Real or Fake?" quiz in every edition. Sign up here.
Qatar Airways leased four Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab wide-body A330 jets from Oman Air last year and planned to keep flying them through 2026, but the aircraft never entered commercial service, the people said. The carrier has now fully retired its A330 fleet.
One of the A330s was acquired earlier this year by Rwandan flag carrier RwandAir. Qatar Airways has longstanding ties to the airline and the people said a group of pilots, some of whom had not flown commercially since the start of the war, have been seconded to RwandAir.
The secondments and details of the fleet retirements have not previously been reported.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson said it was normal for the airline to regularly review its fleet, "retiring older aircraft and introducing newer, more efficient aircraft as they are delivered". In the next five years it expects to receive 138 new aircraft, the spokesperson added.
The carrier operates a mixed Airbus and Boeing fleet of 239 passenger jets and 30 freighters, according to the company. A330s made up 7% of the passenger total, as of March, according to company data.
"A group of Qatar Airways A330 pilots are being offered a voluntary short-term secondment opportunity with RwandAir," the Qatar Airways spokesperson said, adding the scheme offered valuable flying opportunities for pilots while supporting the operational requirements of both airlines, without saying how long the secondment would last.
COSTS SPIKE AS WAR CONTINUES
The war has impacted airlines globally but particularly the Middle East aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha following the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, although flight volumes have recovered to near pre-war levels.
By grounding the less fuel-efficient and older A330 fleet, Qatar is containing jet fuel costs. Parking the planes is substantially cheaper than flying them at current high oil prices, analysts said.
The remaining aircraft Qatar Airways leased from Oman Air are parked either in Teruel, Spain, or in Doha, according to flight tracking data, and have remained parked in recent months, as the Iran war has dragged on. Two of the A330s parked in Doha, which Qatar is leasing from aircraft lessor Jetran, will be returned to the lessor in October.
PASSENGER CAPACITY FALLS
Analysts said older planes like 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 travel demand.
Workers stand at the entrance of a Qatar Airways aircraft parked at Teruel Airport in Spain, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
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, according to seven-day averages calculated by Cirium Ascend, which tracks global fleet movements.
Cirium data shows there are overall some 801 active A330-200 and A330-300 jets globally. A total of 1,437 of the two models were built and delivered, Airbus data show. Those early models of A330 are no longer in production.
Qatar's operational headache has been compounded by widespread disruption to Gulf carriers since the war began and the loss of some transit passengers to competing hubs.
"Middle East carriers are not flying the aircraft as much because of restrictions on the use of airspace there," IBA's head of consulting Dan Taylor said earlier this month.
As of September, Qatar Airways' seven-day average available seat kilometres (ASK) - the industry's standard measure of passenger-carrying capacity - was 10% lower than a year ago, according to Cirium Ascend, compared with a 10% decline at Emirates and flat global industry capacity.
Qatar Airways is on average operating 12% fewer flights versus a year ago, and using 4% fewer planes, although it is on track to return to capacity and network growth by 2027, Cirium said.
FLEET RENEWAL PLANS
While short-term demand has weakened, Qatar still expects growth to resume once regional disruption eases and will soon start recruiting pilots for newer aircraft, it said.
The secondment of just over a dozen staff to RwandAir would ensure pilots trained to fly A330s can continue flying
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Tags:#الخطوط_القطرية#الطيران_الخليجي#الحرب_الإيرانية#أسعار_الوقود#إيرباص_A330#رواندا
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