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Monday, 26 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
With a highly customised interior to meet the five-star standard for Qatar Airways passengers, the airline’s new A380s will undoubtedly be the talk of travellers at Qatar’s new Hamad International Airport when services commence.
Qatar Airways recently announced that the first of its 13 A380 aircraft on order will commence operations on the QR003 and QR004 London-Heathrow route from 17 June. Following this, the airline has now confirmed that its second A380 will be used to fly to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport from Doha from 3 July, on QR39 and return on QR40.
Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker said: “It is yet another significant moment for our airline as we welcome these new aircraft into our rapidly expanding fleet. Operating on the Doha to Paris Charles De Gaulle route, these aircraft, with their customised cabins and five-star specifications, will set a new level of comfort for our passengers, who will also benefit from the smooth and pleasant passenger experience at the world’s newest hub, Hamad International Airport – the soon to be home of Qatar Airways.”
Featuring a tri-class configuration of seating in First, Business and Economy Class, over two decks, the A380 is the largest passenger jet in the world and will provide a superior traveller experience to the Qatar Airways’ customers.
The new First Class A380 seat, recently revealed at the world’s leading travel show, ITB Berlin, features a 90-inch seat pitch, transforming into a fully flat bed, together with an expansive choice of entertainment options displayed on individual 26-inch television screens.
Hamad International Airport (HIA), Qatar Airways new home as of 27 May, has been designed to specifically cater to the A380 aircraft, with six contact gates designed especially for the superjumbo. In addition, the maintenance hangar at HIA – which is the largest in the world – is able to accommodate two A380s simultaneously.
Qatar Airways is also celebrating a year of intensive fleet growth and recently becoming a member of the oneworld global alliance network. In addition to the 13 A380 aircraft the airline currently has on order, Qatar Airways is also set this year to welcome the first of 80 A350 aircraft, the world’s newest aircraft, as Airbus’ launch customer. This forms part of Qatar Airways plans to significantly expand its fleet with 300 additional aircraft, worth more than $ 50 billion, on order, including the Boeing 787 and 777X.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 134 aircraft to 139 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
Over the next few months, the network will grow further with new routes to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Turkey (22 May), Edinburgh, Scotland (28 May), Miami, USA (10 June), Tokyo Haneda, Japan (18 June), Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (1 July) and Djiboutui (27 July).
