Qatar Airways could cancel its order book for the troubled Boeing 787 Dreamliner if there are further delays to its delivery, as the board of the Arab Gulf state's flag carrier considers buying more Airbus A380s.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said Saturday that although he had confidence in the U.S.'s Boeing to deliver its much anticipated Dreamliner 787 model without further major problems, any more big setbacks could lead the airline to scrap its order book for the aircraft.
"We are pretty confident if there is a slippage it will be minimal," said Al Baker at the opening of the Doha International Airport's new arrivals terminal.
"Qatar Airways is not intending to cancel any aeroplane orders at the moment but if delays keep on happening then what is the point of me taking aeroplanes." he added.
Qatar Airways has 30 787 Dreamliners on order and options for another 30. The airline, which has added 10 new routes in the last year, has five Airbus A380s on order, "and the board is contemplating ordering more", Al Baker said, adding that the first delivery of the A380 would be in 2013.