Qatar Airways looks at loaning wide-body jets to British Airways

Qatar Airways is considering loaning planes including wide-body models to British Airways in a move that would soak up excess capacity at the Gulf carrier while easing fleet pressures at the UK operator as some of its own Boeing 787 jets get emergency overhauls. Qatar Air is evaluating the situation and could trim frequencies on some routes to free up aircraft for BA, whose parent IAG is 20% owned by the Mideast group, CE Akbar Al Baker said. While Qatar Air previously loaned Airbus A320 jets to British Airways after a Saudi-led blockade forced it to close some Gulf routes, the transfer currently under scrutiny would be the first involving long-haul planes. Al Baker has said his company suffered a significant loss in the year through March, partly as a result of westbound flights being diverted to avoid closed airspace. <br/>