Qatar Airways concluded a successful week at last week’s Dubai Airshow, showcasing three of its latest-generation aircraft, the Airbus A350, A380 and the airline’s 25th Boeing Dreamliner, the B787.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, toured the airline’s A380 during the Royal Tour on the first day. The tour was led by Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport for the State of Qatar, and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker.
Al Baker also hosted meetings with notable dignitaries including Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport; Ghazi Zaiter, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transportation; and Nathan Deal, Governor of the US State of Georgia. In addition, the US Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, joined Al Baker and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner for a special ceremony on the second day of show to celebrate the airline’s 25th Dreamliner delivery.
Over the course of the week it is estimated that more than 1,000 airshow guests and media toured Qatar Airways’ aircraft.
“Qatar Airways was central to the aircraft on static display at this year’s Dubai Airshow, with three of our finest aircraft present. This demonstrates the significant growth of our fleet in recent years, enabling Qatar Airways to showcase to the aviation industry the world’s very latest aircraft and interior product types, including the A350, for which Qatar Airways was the global launch customer,” Al Baker said:
The A380 entered service with Qatar Airways last autumn and Qatar Airways received the A350 as Global Launch Customer in December 2014.
The A350, which entered service in January, now flies double-daily to Frankfurt, triple-daily to Singapore and daily to Munich. The Business Class cabin has 36 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration featuring an 80-inch fully flat bed and 17-inch HD in-flight entertainment screen and a spacious in-flight lounge.
The 517-seat A380 aircraft comprising of First, Business and Economy Class over two decks, is the largest passenger jet in the world, and currently flies to Bangkok, Paris and London from Doha in the State of Qatar. The new First Class A380 features a seat with a 90-inch pitch that transforms into a fully flat bed and has up to 2,000 entertainment options displayed on individual HD 26-inch television screens.
Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner has a two-cabin configuration, comprising of 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats with a class-leading standard of comfort on board, including individual 10.6-inch television screens for all Economy Class seats and an award-winning food and beverage service.
At the annual Skytrax 2015 World Airline Awards in June, Qatar Airways was awarded World’s Best Airline, Best Business Class Airline Seat, and Best Airline in the Middle East.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation and today flies a modern fleet of 170 aircraft to 152 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
