Qatar Airways is the latest to announce that it will suffer from B777X delivery delays.

According to industry publication ATW (paywall applies), Qatar Airways has ordered 60 B777X aircraft which were supposed to arrive next year. But their arrival is likely to be delayed until 2021.

It means its existing fleet of B777s will not be able to be retired sooner.

Meanwhile the diplomatic row between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours means that the national airline continues to adopt different flight paths (to and from its local region) which has increased fuel burn costs.

For that reason and to save weight Qatar Airways suspended its onboard sales of duty free several months ago. These sales remain suspended.

Meanwhile it was reported by local media that Gulf rival Emirates will have to delay the introduction of its premium economy product.

Emirates has no fewer than 150 B777Xs on order and Arabian Business reports that premium economy, which was supposed to launch on the B777X, will now appear first on one of its A380s but months later than planned.

Indeed last April we reported that it was likely Emirates would be displaying its premium economy seat at next year’s ITB trade show in Berlin (which Business Traveller would attend).

Launching this product would represent a change for the three major Gulf airlines. None of them currently provides passengers with a premium economy option.

Almost all their major competitors around the world now offer premium economy and so it was only a matter of time before the Gulf carriers reacted.

qatarairways.com