Oil Prices Stabilize at Start of 2026 as OPEC+ Policy and Geopolitical Risks Shape Market Outlook 
South Korea Exports Hit Record High as Global Trade Momentum Builds 
Proposed Rio Tinto–Glencore Merger Faces China Regulatory Hurdles and Asset Sale Pressure 
Brazil Supreme Court Orders Asset Freeze of Nelson Tanure Amid Banco Master Investigation 
Renault Group Global Sales Rise 3.2% in 2025 on Strong International and EV Demand 
U.S. Moves to Expand Chevron License and Control Venezuelan Oil Sales 
Syrah Resources and Tesla Extend Deadline on Graphite Supply Dispute to March 
South Korea Factory Output Misses Forecasts in November Amid Ongoing Economic Uncertainty 
Publishers Seek to Join Lawsuit Against Google Over Alleged AI Copyright Infringement 
China Halts Shipments of Nvidia H200 AI Chips, Forcing Suppliers to Pause Production 
Federal Judge Clears Way for Jury Trial in Elon Musk’s Fraud Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft 
Japanese Business Leaders Urge Government Action as Weak Yen Strains Economy 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
Toyota Industries Buyout Faces Resistance as Elliott Rejects Higher Offer 
TSMC Shares Hit Record High as AI Chip Demand Fuels Strong Q4 Earnings 
Trump Criticizes NYSE Texas Expansion, Calls Dallas Exchange a Blow to New York 
South Korea Factory Activity Returns to Growth in December on Export Rebound 
Qatar Airways, Qatar's flag carrier, is scrapping its first-class cabin options, paving the way for a streamlined, efficient travel experience. The move marks a significant shift in luxury air travel as the airline phases out premium services and amenities traditionally associated with first-class tickets.
Qatar Airways is one of the airlines that offer the best business class services, especially for long flights, but its chief executive officer recently hinted that they are planning to remove the first-class seats, as per One Mile. Its Qsuites business class will not be available in the future because its newly-delivered planes do not have cabins for this.
All the new airplanes of Qatar Airways, including the Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s, do not have first-class seats, and this explains why the airline will not sell premium tickets anymore. Currently, the airline only has a long-haul first-class seat on the Airbus A380 aircraft, but these planes are already set to retire before the end of this decade.
The airline originally planned to pull out these planes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but due to the aircraft shortage at that time, they were brought back to service. A few of Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777s also have first-class seats, and these are the only ones that have such type of cabin space.
In any case, Qatar’s flagship carrier’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, further said that first-class cabins are no longer needed. It was previously reported that the chief already made it clear that first-class seats have no future at Qatar Airways, and in fact, it has no plans of installing this top-tier t class on its new Boeing 777-9s.
“Why should you invest in a subclass of an airplane that already gives you all the amenities that first class gives you,” AI Baker reportedly said. “I do not see the necessity.”
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that the phase-out of first-class cabins on long-haul flights is not a move without risk. This is because people may move to other air carriers that offer such seats, like the Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Air France, which are also popular for their high-end offerings. The said airlines are rivals of Qantas Airways in the business class service.
Photo by: Jan Rosolino/Unsplash
