Mukesh Ambani flies to Doha the week of Trump's state dinner and Boeing deal

Mukesh Ambani flew from Mumbai to Doha on May 12, 2026, aboard VT-AKV, his Boeing 737 MAX 9 BBJ — India's first and most expensive private jet of its kind, customized for over $120 million.

The same week, Ambani attended a state dinner at the Lusail Palace hosted by Qatar's Emir for U.S. President Donald Trump, per a Firstpost report on May 14, 2025. The visit marked his second meeting with Trump since the inauguration and coincided with the signing of a $96 billion Qatar Airways-Boeing wide-body order, witnessed by Trump himself, as covered by BW Businessworld. Reliance's ties to Qatar run deep: the Qatar Investment Authority holds roughly $1 billion in Ambani's retail venture.

The trip follows a pattern of high-stakes diplomacy by jet. In late 2024, VT-AKV shuttled Ambani to Tokyo, Bangkok, Dubai, and Jeddah — often for business or family events like his son Anant's pre-wedding gala. This Doha stop, however, was pure geopolitics: a billionaire using his range to sit at the table where trade and energy policy converge.