What Are Qatar Airways' 737 MAX Aircraft Doing Now?

April 2023. It was during this time that Qatar Airways revealed that it would be acquiring Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that were made undeliverable to their original Russian customers. This, of course, was due to sanctions imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. All of these jets had been ordered by S7 but would be delivered to Qatar Airways around mid-2023. So, what did the airline do with them? We take a look for today's video. With Qatar Airways taking possession of its first of eight Boeing 737 MAX 8s in April 2023, the airline went through great lengths to get the type slotted into its operations. This included hundreds of training flights out of and back into Doha Airport. Indeed, the need to conduct so many training flights was due to the fact that the 737 was essentially a brand-new type for the carrier, which had until then operated an all-airbus narrowbody fleet. But then, eventually, come mid-May, the type would enter regular passenger service with the One World member. Early on, Qatar Airways deployed its 176-seat MAX 8 aircraft to just three destinations- Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, and Sharjah. Damam would later be added to the list. Indeed, when flying for Qatar Airways, the aircraft only ever operated relatively short hops- either low-volume routes or higher-volume routes that warranted higher frequencies. Eventually, Qatar Airways would enter into a lease agreement with IndiGo for the jets. As such, the MAX 8s would technically be operating IndiGo services to Doha from various Indian cities. The move was a response to IndiGo needing more capacity, primarily due to ongoing Pratt & Whitney engine issues which had grounded and continued to ground many of its A320neo family jets. To and from Doha, the 737s operated service to cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanur, and Mumbai. This took place from July-August 2024 through to August 2025. And, well, since the end of this lease period, the jets have been inactive with Qatar Airways. According to Planespotters.net, most of the jets have been stored at DIA, which is Doha International Airport, situated close to Qatar Airways' main hub at Doha Hamad International. However, one aircraft, at least at the time of making this video, has flown further afield. The airframe-registered Alpha 7 Bravo Sierra Echo was flown from Delhi, India to Doha International Airport on August 13th and sat there for about two weeks. Then, on August 31st, the jet was ferried to Shannon Airport in Ireland. We're not 100% sure what the jet is doing there, but we know Qatar uses facilities in Shannon for repainting, and so that's one possibility. Everything about the Qatar Airways 737 fleet and their operations has been due to unexpected circumstances. They were made available due to war in Ukraine, they were picked up by Qatar because of the bitter disagreement over A350 surface degradation with Airbus, and they were operated by IndiGo due to engine issues. With relations between the airline and Airbus now settled, it's clear that Qatar Airways will push forward with an Airbus-only narrowbody fleet, raising questions about the fate of the 737s. And this is the big question. Where will they go now? Our best guess is that these jets will go to one or several airlines partially owned by Qatar Airways. For example, Qatar Airways Group has invested in a 25% minority stake in Virgin Australia. With the Australian carrier operating max eights of its own, this could be a perfect future home. But what do you think of the life and times of these aircraft? Where do you think they'll go? Let us know by leaving a comment. If you're looking for the latest aviation news and insights, visit SimpleFlying.com