Dubai: Qatar Airways will place its first Airbus A380 on the London Heathrow route from June 17, it said in a statement on Monday.
The airline has 13 of superjumbo aircraft on order with three expected to be received this summer. The new aircraft will operate on the QR003 and QR004 London Heathrow-Doha route.
“It is a significant moment in our airline’s history to welcome these aircraft into our rapidly expanding fleet. Operating on the Doha to London Heathrow route, these aircraft, with their customised cabins, will set a new level of comfort for our passengers, who will also benefit from a smooth and pleasant passenger experience at the world’s newest airport, Hamad International Airport, the soon to be opened new home of Qatar Airways,” said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways chief executive officer.
The A380’s will feature a three class configuration and the airlines new A380 first class seats, unveiled at the ITB Berlin travel show earlier this year.
Doha’s new airport, Hamad International, has been designed with six contact gates for the A380.
In addition to the 13 A380 planes the airline currently has on order, Qatar Airways will also be welcoming this year the first of 80 A350 aircraft as Airbus’ launch customer. The airline stated that this forms part of its plans to expand its fleet with 300 additional aircraft on order, worth over $50 billion, including the Boeing 787 and 777X.
