It seems as though Qatar Airways is in for a holiday treat today. The Middle Eastern carrier is thought to be expecting four new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to extend its fleet. A perfect treat just in time for the new year!

Dreamliners en route to Doha

Earlier this morning (UTC), a flight tracker aroused suspicions that the first of Qatar Airways' 787-9 Dreamliner order was on its way to the airline. Four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft were detected flying across the United States at around 01:50 UTC on 27th December 2019. Earlier, the aircraft's movements were unclear.

However, at the time of writing the first of the four aircraft now appears to be steadily making headway to Doha, Qatar. The aircraft registered A7-BHA is leading the jaunt from Paine Field (PAE) in Everett to the Qatari city with an expected arrival time of 18:38 UTC today. The other aircraft follow close behind. They are registered as:

• A7-BHB
• A7-BHE
• A7-BHD.

Planes for powerful growth

These aircraft will be the first of their kind to join the Qatar Airways fleet. The airline already has 30 787-8 Dreamliners but placed an order back in 2016 for the 787-9 model.

On 7th October of that year, Boeing announced the partnership with Qatar Airways which saw the air carrier firmly signing for 40 Boeing aircraft. 30 of those were the 787-9. Both carrier and airframer alike were pleased with the investment and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker went on to say in a Boeing statement:

"Qatar Airways, already one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation, today announces a significant and historic aircraft order that will power our future growth for the years and the decades ahead. Boeing has proven to be a valuable partner, and today's announcement is testament to our appreciation of the quality of their product and their dedication to providing world class customer service."

According to Planespotters, Qatar Airways has already taken delivery of these aircraft though they are yet to touch down on home soil. The airline has not released a statement on the delivery as of yet and it was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Dreamliners featuring a brand new Qsuite

Qatar Airways was initially expecting delivery of the first of its 787-9 Dreamliners in 2017. However, there were delays in production. Despite that, Qatar Airways could have received its 787-9 Dreamliners sooner. But it had some final details it needed to see to.

The airline has now updated its Qsuite which is already fiercely touted as one of the best business class offerings in the sky. The new design will include divided pods which can be combined up to four ways to allow mobile workspaces in the sky. It's this innovative design that's led to further delays on Qatar Airways' order. But there's no doubt that the development will pay off. As for the rest of the design, we'll have to wait and see what Qatar reveals!

Are you excited about Qatar Airways' new delivery? Let us know in the comments below!