Qatar Airways crosses significant milestone with 250th aircraft delivery

Qatar Airways on Wednesday celebrated the arrival of its 250th aircraft, an Airbus A350-900 from Toulouse, France; the latest addition to the group’s growing fleet of passenger, cargo and executive aircraft.

The “impressive landmark” comes just 22 years after the carrier began operations, and is testament to the incredible growth of an airline that has become world-leading in that time, winning a host of awards, including the Skytrax World Airline of the Year accolade on no less than four occasions.

The new A350-900 joins the airline’s state-of-the-art fleet, where the average age of aircraft is less than five years.

As of Wednesday, Qatar Airways’ fleet is made up of 203 passenger aircraft, 25 cargo and 22 Qatar Executive jets. The national carrier operates to more than 160 destinations worldwide.

Commenting on the achievement, Qatar Airways group chief executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said, “I am extremely proud that we have reached this historic landmark of having a fleet that now numbers 250 aircraft. The delivery of our newest Airbus A350-900 is a mark of the outstanding growth we have seen over the last two decades, and to our commitment to flying only the newest and most technologically advanced aircraft in the world.

“Qatar Airways is moving forward with the rapid expansion of our global route network, an enhanced on board product offering in all cabin classes and, most importantly, taking delivery of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft because we want our customers to have an unforgettable experience when they fly with us. This is an important moment in our growth, and I look forward to seeing our fleet grow even more in the coming years.”

Last year, Qatar Airways became the world’s launch customer of the Airbus A350-1000, symbolising the national carrier’s determination to lead the way in the industry by pioneering and championing the latest technology and innovation.

In 2014, the airline became the global launch customer of the Airbus A350-900, becoming the first airline in the world to operate every family of Airbus’ modern airliner portfolio.

In January 2015, Qatar Airways deployed its newly-received, world-first, Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on the Frankfurt route and in 2016, it became the first airline to fly the A350 family of aircraft to three continents.

A multiple-award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Business Class Seat’, ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.

The airline has launched an array of exciting new destinations recently, including Gothenburg, Mombasa and Da Nang.

Qatar Airways will add a number of new destinations to its extensive route network later this year, including Lisbon; Malta; Rabat; Izmir; Langkawi; Davao, Philippines and Mogadishu (Somalia).

احتفلت الخطوط الجوية القطرية، أمس، باستلام الطائرة رقم 250 في أسطول طائراتها. ووصلت طائرة أيرباص A350-900 من تولوز في فرنسا إلى الدوحة لتنضم إلى أسطول طائرات الناقلة.

ويأتي هذا الإنجاز بعد مرور 22 عاماً على تدشين عمليات الخطوط الجوية القطرية، ودليلاً على التطوّر الهائل الذي مرت وتمر به الناقلة، لتصبح إحدى شركات الطيران الرائدة على مستوى العالم، ناهيك عن حصدها العديد من الجوائز العالمية، بما في ذلك جائزة أفضل شركة طيران في العالم من «سكاي تراكس» أربع مرات. ويبلغ متوسط عمر الطائرات في أسطول «القطرية» أقل من خمسة أعوام. واعتباراً من 20 مارس 2019، أصبح الأسطول يضم 203 طائرات ركاب، و25 طائرة شحن جوي، و22 طائرة خاصة.

وفي معرض تعليقه على هذا الإنجاز؛ قال سعادة السيد أكبر الباكر، الرئيس التنفيذي لمجموعة الخطوط الجوية القطرية: «سعادتي غامرة بتحقيق هذا الإنجاز، واستلام الطائرة رقم 250 في أسطول طائراتنا. ويأتي استلامنا طائرة أيرباص A350-900 شاهداً على التطوّر الهائل للناقلة على مدار العقدين الماضيين، وعلى التزامنا بالتحليق بمسافرينا على متن أحدث الطائرات وأكثرها تقدماً من الناحية التكنولوجية في العالم».