Qatar Airways is currently exploring the possibility of acquiring several Airbus A330 wide-bodied aircraft previously owned by American Airlines to address the gap in capacity caused by delays in receiving new aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing. These particular aircraft were part of the fleet American Airlines inherited from its merger with US Airways back in December 2013 and have been sitting in long-term storage in the United States since the onset of the pandemic.

Renowned aviation expert JonNYC recently mentioned on social media that Qatar Airways, based in Doha, is in talks with its oneworld partner American Airlines to potentially procure some of these idle jets and integrate them into its own widebody fleet. If the deal goes through, the aircraft are expected to undergo rebranding and modifications to align with Qatar's premium onboard offerings, ensuring a consistent and superior passenger experience.

Amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis, American Airlines streamlined its operations around four key aircraft families - the Boeing 737, 777, 787, and Airbus A320 series. This strategy led to the retirement of various aircraft types, including the Boeing 757, 767, Airbus A330-200, A330-300 models, as well as numerous regional jets.

The A330s currently in storage consist of 15 A330-200s with extended range capabilities, along with nine A330-300s. Qatar Airways is primarily eyeing the A330-200s, as they offer the airline both the required range and capacity for its regional and long-haul services. These aircraft are currently housed at Roswell Air Center in New Mexico and were brought to the facility between February and April 2020.

Configured to accommodate up to 247 passengers across three classes (business, premium economy, and economy), these A330s underwent retrofitting shortly before being grounded and have an average age of approximately 13 years. With the surge in air travel demand after the pandemic, Qatar Airways is exploring avenues to expand its fleet to meet this increased need.

The airline has been grappling with delays in receiving Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and the introduction of the 60 Boeing 777X aircraft in its order has been postponed until at least 2026, marking a six-year deviation from the original delivery timeline committed by Boeing. To manage its capacity constraints in the interim, Qatar Airways has been leasing four A330-200s and three A330-300s from Oman Air, in addition to operating its existing fleet of two A330-200s and eight A330-300s, offering seating for 260 and 305 passengers, respectively.