At the 2025 SkyTrax World Airline Awards, Qatar Airways took the crown for the world’s best airline, a title that it has now won nine times. In addition, the Doha-based carrier took home the title for the world’s best business class and the world’s best business class lounge. Key to its product success is the QSuite. First introduced in 2017, QSuite introduced sliding doors to business class, a feature largely reserved for first class at the time, while also offering passengers several innovative features.

But while SkyTrax ranks QSuites as number one, it’s hardly undisputed. Several newer seating products have debuted since then that arguably beat QSuites, and the seat itself has been around for almost a decade. It remains private and loaded with features, but the technology isn’t cutting-edge, while the seat’s flaws are becoming more apparent. As such, Qatar Airways has introduced the QSuite Next Gen for new Airbus A350-1000 deliveries and the Boeing 777-9.

QSuite’s Current Competitive Position

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QSuite is a custom seat model built by Collins Aerospace for Qatar Airways, first introduced in 2017. The product is currently available on select Airbus A350-900s, all A350-1000s, as well as select Boeing 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs. It’s fundamentally a staggered seat that features alternating forward and rear-facing seats, closely resembling Etihad’s custom Business Studio seat from 2014. However, QSuite is differentiated through the sliding doors, extremely high privacy dividers, and its features.

The ‘honeymoon suites’ in the center offer a double bed, while the central and lateral partitions can be lowered to offer a combined ‘quad’ suite for groups of four. In addition, there’s plenty of storage, while the placement of controls is thoughtful and ergonomic. However, it’s not without its flaws, as some find that individual suites can be boxy and crammed, despite how huge each one is. In addition, there’s no USB-C or wireless charging, and while the 21.5-inch (54.6 cm) screen is large, it’s not the biggest or the highest-definition screen in the industry anymore.

In 2019, All Nippon Airways introduced ‘The Room’ business class suite, based on the Safran Fusio, while Japan Airlines introduced a customized version of the staggered Safran Unity in 2024. Both of these seats offer exceptional personal space and superior technology. The QSuite is also under competition from improved reverse herringbone suites (particularly the Collins Elements and the Safran Versa), along with new staggered seat models like the Collins Horizon and Stelia Rendez-Vous. These newer seat models are spacious and better utilize their space than QSuite.

The Upcoming QSuite Next Gen

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The current QSuite is still one of the world’s best business class seats in the world, but it’s just no longer the undisputed leader. More importantly, however, the product has been around since 2017, and it’s lacking in technological features. Qatar Airways could just add USB-C ports and wireless charging to the current seat and call it a day, but this wouldn’t put the airline in the news, and Qatar Airways relies hugely on its brand image centered around an innovative passenger experience. What’s more, while the product is competitive today, it might not be in ten or 15 years.

The QSuite Next Gen was unveiled in 2024, and the fundamentals of the seat are largely the same. However, the seat will feature larger 4K OLED Panasonic Astrova monitors. The lateral dividers in the quad suites can retract fully, while the outboard pairs of seats by the windows also feature retractable dividers, allowing for new ‘Companion Suites’. The seat and bed are now slightly larger, while the QSuite Next Gen also incorporates USB-C and wireless charging, as well as ambient lighting.

In addition to the technology, the QSuite Next Gen will also incorporate more storage and will have higher privacy dividers, as well as electronically-controlled sliding doors. There are new digital passenger control units, which have been relocated for better ergonomics. It doesn’t move the game forward in the way that the original QSuite did, but it does include numerous incremental improvements that should make it one of, if not the best, business class seats in the world.

The Roll-Out Time For QSuite Next Gen

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It’s believed that Elevate Aircraft seating will manufacture the QSuite Next Gen, replacing Collins Aerospace. Qatar Airways originally planned to debut the product on the Boeing 777-9, but these planes won’t be coming until the first half of 2027 at the earliest, with the latest delays. It’s been reported that the carrier will also install this product on upcoming Airbus A350-1000 deliveries, but it’s unclear when the airline will start installing QSuite Next Gen on these planes.

Qatar Airways currently has 14 A350-1000s on order along with 90 777-9s, which means that a large portion of the carrier’s fleet will feature the new product. Given that the current QSuite is still an excellent product, it’s highly unlikely that Qatar Airways will refurbish any QSuite-equipped plane with the new seats, and the carrier has not announced any retrofit plans for the QSuite Next Gen. This could still happen, as the airline did refurbish some Boeing 777s with the original QSuite, but it’s not likely to happen.

Refurbishing widebody airliners is an expensive process that costs millions per aircraft and takes weeks to complete. A large, innovative business class seat like the QSuite Next Gen is also costly to purchase per unit. It remains to be seen Qatar Airways’ exact plans, but it’s likely to be limited to new large widebodies, while Boeing 787s are coming with the Elevate Ascent for business class.

Qatar Airways’ Mix Of Business Class Seats

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The QSuite is an excellent product, and the upcoming QSuite Next Gen promises to be even better. However, Qatar Airways’ international business class offering is far from consistent, as the carrier operates planes with several different types of business class seats. To this day, the airline still flies Boeing 777s equipped with the Collins Aerospace Minipods, a roughly 20-year-old model configured six-abreast. Meanwhile, some A350-900s, as well as all A380s and most 787-8s, feature the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond.

The Airbus A330 fleet was originally set to be retired by 2022, but widebody aircraft shortages led Qatar to keep these planes. They feature the Collins Aerospace Diamond, while its 787-9s feature the Elevate Ascent. Qatar Airways has also acquired/leased several used widebodies, which have different interiors from the carrier’s current standards. Ex-Oman Air A330s and 787-8s feature the Collins Aerospace Apex Suite, while former Cathay Pacific 777-300ERs feature the Safran Cirrus II. Former Virgin Australia 777-300ERs are equipped with the Collins Super Diamond.

In addition to the widebodies, Qatar flies a small fleet of Airbus A320-200s, some of which feature Recaro CL4400 recliners, while others are equipped with the Collins Diamond. All of Qatar’s A321neos currently in service are leased examples in an all-economy layout. Altogether, Qatar’s fleet features eight different business class seat models, and the airline has not announced plans to standardize its fleet. Of course, some future widebody deliveries are intended to replace Qatar’s used planes, as well as older widebodies, so the fleet will eventually become more streamlined.

The New Qatar Airways First Class

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Qatar Airways currently only sells first class on its Airbus A380s and former Cathay Pacific 777-300ERs. However, the physical product on the A380s isn’t cutting-edge, and the soft product isn’t dramatically differentiated from business class (admittedly, this more reflects the high standard of product that Qatar offers in business class). Qatar Airways has marketed QSuite as being close to first class and has discussed eliminating the cabin in the future, but it now appears that the airline will change course.

The airline is actively developing a new first class cabin that will be installed on the Boeing 777-9, although it’s unclear just how many of these planes will feature the new seats. The airline has yet to tease the new product, only stating that it will offer a ‘private jet-like experience’. Given current supply chain challenges in the industry and the fact that there has yet to be an official product tease, it’s also unlikely that initial 777-9 deliveries will come with the new first class seats.

A new first class product might not make money on its own, but it’s highly valuable for driving interest in the brand. Emirates is planning an updated version of its ‘Game Changer’ suites for the 777-9, while Etihad’s A380 First Apartments are still one of the best first class seats in the world. Therefore, the new first class will be instrumental in maintaining Qatar Airways’ image as a competitor to Emirates and Etihad. Even those who never fly it will still pay extra attention to Qatar’s business and economy classes due to how exciting the new first class will be.