Qatar and its Boeing 787's

Just off the phone to an old colleague who is now working at a bulge bracket ( are they still called that ?) in the ME. Tells me that he hears that Qatar Airways is trying to buy production slots for Boeing 787 Dreamliners from airlines that are now having difficulty financing. Qatar was originally planning to introduce the 787 in 2013 but date of entry may be brought forward if they are successful. If true what a difference 6 months makes in terms of demand! I always find that airline gossip is as good an economic indicator as RoRo numbers.