Qatar Airways intends to ride the luxury-travel wave with the launch of new first class suites which it claims will be more like flying in a private jet.

These high-end havens will arrive at “end of 2026 or beginning of 2027” on the Gulf carrier’s Boeing 777-9 jets, says Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed al-Meer.

Speaking at this week’s Web Summit Qatar 2025, al-Meer also said the 777-9 would see the debut of a new approach to “technology and digitalisation” of the passenger journey which “will create a new benchmark for the industry.”

This will include using artificial intelligence to support inflight catering to “make sure that we are not running out of the preferred meal on board” by mapping and predicting demand for specific meals across specific routes and seasons.

The return of Qatar Airways’ first class

The 777-9 will serve as the launchpad for this AI approach, along with the new first class suites and second-gen Qsuite 2 business class.

It’s an about-face for Qatar Airways, which for a time believed its impressive business class Qsuites would marginalise demand for first class to the point where the primo cabin had no place in the skies.

“An aeroplane is very expensive real estate,” former Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker told Executive Traveller in 2021.

“Occupying a big portion with so few seats as first class, which had a load factor never averaging more than 55-60%,” was even harder to justify when Qsuites proved such a success.

“Why should you invest in a sub-class of an aeroplane that already gives you all the amenities that first class gives you?” he posed. “I don’t see the necessity.”

The following year, however, Al Baker conceded there was a role for first class – but only on certain premium routes and a “just a handful” of 777-9s.

The Boeing 777-9 will replace the Airbus A380 as Qatar Airways’ flagship.

“We have huge demand here in Qatar to two or three European destinations” such as London and Paris, Al Baker told Executive Traveller in 2022, “so we may introduce a very small first class cabin for our local passengers who want a very exclusive first class product.”

Al Baker added these 777-9s would have “a very exclusive first class cabin of just four seats”, describing it as a deliberately “very niche product” aimed at well-heeled Qatari travellers.

His successor al-Meer is now moving ahead with those plans, having admitted at the launch of the Qsuite Next Gen “we have always been pushing away the concept of having a first class cabin on our aircraft.”

But “based on demands for certain sectors we see that there is and that there will be, always, very high demand on first class.”

“We have to introduce a first class cabin… especially when we have to exit the A380,” al-Meer added, nodding to the 777-9 as a flagship replacement for the superjumbo.

The ‘open suites’ design of Qatar Airways’ A380 first class.

Qatar Airways’ 777-9 first class takes shape

Al-Meer said the Gulf carrier was now leaning into its experience with its Qatar Executive private jet fleet to create a fresh five-star take on first class.

“We will utilise our knowledge and our expertise from having a private jet company… I feel that nobody can develop a first class cabin better than us (for that reason).”

“We want to combine the experience from flying commercial and from flying a private jet and develop something new.”

The design of those luxe suites was “70-80%” complete as of mid-2024: “we are only finalising colours and small touches.”

Some routes will aways have high demand for first class, says Qatar Airways’ CEO.

Al Meer’s citing of demand for first class on “certain sectors” or flights mirrors Al Baker’s thinking, which could indicate that only a relatively small number of the 60 Boeing 777-9s on order will be crowned by these posh private suites.

While Al Baker suggested Qatar’s new 777-9 first class would be a single row of four suites, it’s possible Al-Meer could shake things up with a three-across layout similar to that adopted by Lufthansa and Qantas.

This may incorporate Lufthansa’s approach of a larger middle suite which can be shared by two people or provide a solo flyer with more room.

Lufthansa’s ‘suite for two’ in the middle of its first class cabin.

Qatar Airways could also differentiate first class from business class by outfitting each suite with a separate lounge chair and bed, with each element designed for maximum comfort rather than being a compromise of both.

Qantas’ A350 first class suite.

This is an approach already adopted by Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines for their respective A380 first class suites, although it’s less common on single-deck twin-engine jets.

Qatar Airways’ 777-9 delivery

So when will those 777-9s be headed for the hangars of Doha’s Hamad International Airport?

Boeing has confirmed Lufthansa will be the prestigous launch customer for the 777-9, as the German carrier was the first to place an order for the jetliner back in September 2013, when the first delivery was slated for 2020.

Boeing now says that delivery will take place in 2026, without offering further specifics on the timeline.

Emirates is second on the list, by dint of its massive order for 205 planes across the 777X family, but “now expects its 777X deliveries to be pushed back until at least the second quarter of 2027 (and) the date could even slip as far as 2028,” reports Bloomberg.

Qatar Airways’ order for 60 of the 777-9s will see it follow Emirates as third on the schedule, so al-Meer’s suggestion of  “end of 2026 or beginning of 2027” already sounds optimistic.

Also read: Qatar Airways offers a free ‘Qsuite Guarantee’