Qatar, Emirates reap economies of scale from purchase pact

[DUBAI] Qatar Airways Ltd said that it jointly negotiated a deal for as many as 250 of Boeing Co's new 777 planes with Dubai-based Emirates, putting old rivalries aside to wring maximum value from the Persian Gulf's growing dominance of the wide-body jet market.

The novel approach, which saw the pair share a stage for their order announcement at the Dubai Air Show, delivered extra economies of scale, Qatar chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said on Monday, 24 hours after the contracts were placed.

"We're buying airplanes, we're not going to the supermarket, so we're not going to do this every time," Mr Al Baker said. "But when we do a similar programme in the future then yes, I hope that we will be able to do it together."