Qatar Airways expands Boeing 777 fleet with additional aircraft orders

The Doha-based airline also revealed a revised delivery schedule of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with the first to arrive from the fourth quarter of 2011 to help meet early aircraft requirements.

Qatar Airways currently has 19 Boeing 777 aircraft in its fleet – 11 Extended Range (300-ERs), six Long Range (200-LRs) and two freighter versions. The Boeing 777 is fast becoming the cornerstone of the airline’s long-haul fleet.

Qatar also has firm orders for 10 Boeing 777s and a further three on option with the US aircraft manufacturer.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Air travel demand is continuing to rise in the Middle East and it is becoming clear that international demand is returning as the global economy shows signs of recovery.

“We continue to invest in new aircraft and new routes and will be well positioned for the upturn in air travel with a fleet fully optimised for economic and environmentally friendly operations.

“The Boeing 777 has become the cornerstone of our fleet. It is a tool for profitability, but also a platform for delivering the highest customer satisfaction. Its service reliability and cabin architecture, coupled with our innovative interiors and world-class in-flight service have made the 777 the airplane of choice for our passengers.”

Qatar Airways’ three pairs of Boeing 777-200 LRs currently operate non-stop between Doha and Houston , Melbourne and Sao Paulo , the latter route continuing onto Buenos Aires . It is the longest range commercial aircraft in the world, capable of connecting virtually any key city in the world non-stop from the airline’s hub in D oha .

Qatar Airways began taking delivery of its Boeing 777 passenger aircraft in November 2007. Its first Boeing 777 freighter was delivered two months ago, followed soon after by a second.

Qatar Airways also announced at the show today that it had reached a formal agreement to advance its Boeing 787 deliveries to support its network growth and fleet replacement requirements by the end of next year.

The airline’s first 787 is now scheduled to enter service during the fourth quarter of 2011 and the airline expects to have five aircraft in service by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

 
The airline is also negotiating further delivery accelerations of its thirty firm 787s with Boeing in order to replace its early Airbus A330s, which will be less than nine years old when the 787 enters service with the carrier.