President Donald Trump scored a major economic and diplomatic win on Wednesday as Qatar Airways signed a deal to purchase 160 Boeing jets. The agreement is part of a sweeping $1.2 trillion economic commitment from the Gulf nation to the United States.
During a high-profile signing ceremony in Doha, Trump looked on as Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer made the deal official in front of the Qatari Emir.
The agreement covers a mix of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and next-generation 777X aircraft, valued at $96 billion. All planes will be powered by GE Aerospace engines, bringing the total aviation package to over $200 billion when including service contracts and components.
According to the White House, the deal represents the largest widebody aircraft order in Boeing’s history and is projected to support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually, amounting to over 1 million jobs over the lifetime of the agreement.
“Get those planes out there. Get them out there,” Trump said during the ceremony, underscoring his administration’s push to revive American manufacturing and aerospace exports.
The Boeing bonanza is part of a larger $243.5 billion economic pact signed during Trump’s visit to Qatar, which itself is embedded in a broader $1.2 trillion commitment between the U.S. and the energy-rich Gulf state. In addition to aviation, the deals span defense, energy, quantum computing, and infrastructure.
American engineering giant Parsons secured up to $97 billion in project contracts, while McDermott has $8.5 billion in energy infrastructure deals underway.
Meanwhile, Quantinuum and Qatar’s Al Rabban Capital launched a $1 billion joint venture focused on quantum technology investment and workforce development in the United States.
On the defense front, Raytheon signed a $1 billion contract to provide Qatar with advanced counter-drone systems, making the country the first international buyer of that technology.
General Atomics also reached a $2 billion agreement to supply MQ-9B Reaper drones, while a potential $38 billion future investment is being explored for improvements at Al Udeid Air Base, a key hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
The White House described the deals as a show of Trump’s determination to “accelerate Qatar’s defense investment in the U.S.-Qatar security partnership, enhancing regional deterrence and benefitting the U.S. industrial base.”
Trump’s stop in Qatar follows a landmark $600 billion investment agreement with Saudi Arabia, which included a $142 billion defense deal.
Both partnerships are part of the president’s second-term Middle East tour, focused heavily on American job creation, economic realignment, and restoring U.S. manufacturing strength.
In a symbolic gesture, Qatar has also pledged to gift the U.S. government a Boeing 747-8 valued at $400 million, to serve as a temporary Air Force One while Boeing works on its delayed next-generation presidential aircraft.
Though critics have questioned the optics of the gift, the White House said legal reviews are underway to verify compliance and national security protocols.
Boeing stock, already up nearly 20% on the year, surged again following news of the Qatar deal. The company has also recently benefited from a $10 billion jet order through the U.S.-U.K. trade pact and stands to gain further from easing tensions with China.
The Doha signing ceremony capped a string of historic announcements for American industry and cemented President Trump’s visit as a turning point in U.S. economic diplomacy in the region.