The livery of the first Qatar Airways Boeing 737 MAX was spotted on social media, as the aircraft was returning from the paint shop at Portland International Airport (PDX), United States.
The aircraft, registered as A7-BSC, returned from PDX to Everett Paine Field (PAE) on April 2, 2023, sporting the full Qatar Airways livery. Previously, the same 737 MAX, then with the temporary registration of N5573K, was spotted at PDX, sporting S7 Airlines’ livery, barring the rudder and the winglets.
Qatar Airways took over the 737 MAX from S7 Airlines, which would have been unable to take delivery of the aircraft due to sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. The aircraft, with the Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 43329 first flew on December 10, 2021, according to planespotters.net data.
Overall, nine Not Taken Up (NTU) S7 Airlines Boeing 737 MAX will join Qatar Airways fleet in the next few months.
Eight aircraft are shown to be owned by the aircraft lessor Air Lease Corporation (ALC), while one is owned by AerCap.
In a previous statement to AeroTime, a Qatar Airways spokesperson confirmed that the Qatari airline will “add a small number of B737-8 MAX aircraft to its fleet in the coming months as it aims to add capacity to help drive future growth, especially in short-haul markets”.
Boeing’s current Orders & Deliveries data, as of February 28, 2023, showcases that Qatar Airways has made two separate orders for the 737 MAX. The carrier ordered six aircraft of the type in December 2016, while it finalized an agreement with the manufacturer for 25 737 MAXs in July 2022.
In a press release from July 2022, Boeing stated that Qatar Airways ordered 25 737 MAX-10s, which has yet to be certified to fly in the United States.
Qatar Airways operated a single Boeing 737 throughout its history, briefly leasing a 737-200 from Lufthansa, which leased it to Air Atlanta Icelandic, operating it on behalf of the Qatari airline in October 1994, planespotters.net data shows.