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.
Qatar Airways leased four Airbus wide-body A330 jets from Oman Air last year and planned to keep flying them through 2026, but the aircraft never entered service, the people said. The carrier has now fully retired its A330 fleet.
