Dubai: Qatar Airways yesterday said it has doubled its fleet size to 80 in five years.
The airline, which has an order backlog of 220 jets worth $40 billion (Dh146.8 billion), is set to have 120 aircraft by 2013 and its current global network of 86 destinations is expected to rise to 120.
The airline has inducted its 15th Boeing 777 into the fleet and maintains a delivery schedule of more than one new aircraft a month.
The newest Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft will serve long-haul routes from the airline's hub in Doha. The aircraft is part of a larger order for more than 220 aircraft worth over $40 billion placed in recent years.
"Yet again, Qatar Airways is demonstrating its continued commitment to growth, a strategy set in 1997 when the airline was launched," said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker.
Addressing media in Hyderabad during India Aviation 2010, the country's second International Exhibition and Conference on Civil Aviation, Al Baker said Qatar Airways was forging ahead with expansion at an unprecedented rate.
"Just five years ago, Qatar Airways operated 40 aircraft. Today our fleet has doubled to 80 aircraft. As our fleet increases, we are able to raise capacity on existing services and introduce new routes which is continuing as planned despite the industry facing challenges amid the current global economic climate," said Al Baker.
"Qatar Airways set out a long-term vision to be a world leader with innovative inflight service using the most modern and efficient aircraft in the skies today. This is what gives us an edge over our competitors and, rest assured, we will maintain and step up our momentum to reach our ultimate goal of being the Best Airline in the World."
Expansion
Last week the airline embarked on its aggressive 2010 expansion programme with the launch of daily non-stop flights between Doha and Bengaluru (Bangalore), the state capital of Karnataka. It was the first of several planned route launches this year.
Beginning March 30, scheduled flights are set to be introduced to Copenhagen; April 5 sees Ankara coming on line; April 26 is the launch date of daily flights to Tokyo; June 7 sees Barcelona added to the network.
Formerly known as Bangalore, flights to Bengaluru will raise Qatar Airways' Indian capacity up to 71 services a week to 11 key points — Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Cochin, Kozhikode, Goa and Amritsar.
Qatar Airways' Boeing 777-200LR passenger aircraft on static display in Hyderabad during the five-day air show featured 259 seats (42 seats in Business Class in a 2-2-2 configuration and 217 seats in economy in a 3-3-3 configuration).
The Boeing 777-200LR flies on ultra-long-haul routes of up to 17 hours non-stop, such as Doha to Houston and Melbourne.
With 32 Boeing 777s on order, including passenger and cargo aircraft, these will form the backbone of the airline's long-haul fleet. The aircraft operates on many long-haul routes and also serves selected destinations across Asia.
Business class passengers enjoy comfortable seating offering a pitch of up to 78 inches with each seat converting into 180-degree fully flat horizontal beds. With a 2-2-2 seating configuration. Business class passengers are assured of either a window or aisle seat and plenty of space.
In economy class, seat space is above the industry average with a pitch of up to 34 inches offering significant leg room.
Comfort
Added Al Baker: "With a flying range of up to 17 hours non-stop, our Boeing 777 LRs and ERs offer passengers the ultimate in comfort and service to long-haul destinations non-stop from Doha. The aircraft also features unrivalled facilities, which certainly provide our competitors with something to think about.
The Bombardier Challenger 300 aircraft displayed in Hyderabad is one of three corporate jets in the airline's subsidiary Qatar Executive, launched six months ago to serve the Middle East's expanding corporate business travel market.
Statistics from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) show that the corporate market in the Middle East has grown an average of 13 per cent a year since 2000.
Nine years ago there were 200 corporate jets based in the Middle East, more than doubling in size to 450 in 2008 with estimates of further growth over the next few years.
According to CAPA, the corporate jet market in the Middle East is estimated to be worth between $500 million and $700 million a year.
Al Baker said, "Forecast growth in the Middle East corporate jet market is expected to be between 15 and 20 per cent until 2012, so there is a clear opportunity for Qatar Airways to capitalise on this trend, hence the creation of our business unit, Qatar Executive."
