The booming of Air travel to and from the Middle East

Air travel to and from the Middle East is booming as oil profits spur construction and tourism in areas not ravaged by war and political turmoil, as move from Qatar Airways into Newark is part of a larger trend.

Qatar Airways, which has 58 aircraft and aims to double the fleet by 2015, already flies to 76 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia from its Doha hub. The airline, which is 50 percent state-owned, will add non-stop flights between Doha and Washington, D.C., on July 19.

In Tuesday evening, the national airline of the Persian Gulf sheikdom of Qatar, has arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport for the first time from the tiny nation's capital of Doha, after a stop in Geneva.

"Yesterday was one of the happiest days for my ruler," Akbar al-Baker, Qatar Airways' chief executive officer, said in a news conference Wednesday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. "We want to bridge the Mideast with the United States."

iAl-Baker announced Wednesday a "code share" marketing agreement with United Airlines, which, if approved by U.S. regulators, will give Qatar Airways customers single-ticket access to flights to more than 50 cities in the United States from United's hub in Washington.

He also said the Newark route will be expanded to daily service by the end of next year.

The International Air Transport Association said that in the first four months of the year international traffic on Middle Eastern airlines grew 17.9 percent, compared with North American carriers' 5.4 percent and Europe's 6 percent.

Read the news release of this article's at Mideast carrier begins service to N.J. by Richard Newman Read More..

Emirates, Qatar airways to Order A380S at Paris Air show

Dubai-based airline Emirates and Qatar Airways are to announce new orders for the Airbus A380 superjumbo at the Paris Air Show this week, with Emirates to take up to 10 additional superjumbos, a company source told AFP on Monday.

The source partially confirmed a report in French newspaper Les Echos on Monday which said that Emirates would reveal an order for eight A380s and 60-100 mid-sized A350s worth about 15 billion dollars (11 billion euros) at catalogue prices.

Emirates is already the biggest single client for the A380 having already placed an order for 43 of the giant airliners, which are set to enter service later this year.

Another French newspaper, La Tribune, reported Monday that Qatar Airways would also announce an order for more A380s. The group has already ordered two.

The airline is also to confirm an order for 80 A350s, initially announced in May, La Tribune said.

Source: The Tocqueville Connection Read More..

Qatar Airways to make profits

Idoha: Qatar Airways expects to make its first profit by 2010 and could sell shares to local and foreign investors three years after that, its chief executive said yesterday.

The rapidly expanding carrier signed a deal on May 30 to buy 80 A350xwb aircraft from European planemarker Airbus with a total list price of $16 billion.

"We will be privatised in the first half of the next decade and the IPO will be offered to local and international companies," Akbar Al Baker said.

The IPO will not exceed 49 per cent of the company's stock, so existing agreements between Qatar and other countries would not be compromised, said Al Baker, adding that he expected the airline to hit a profit by 2010 to 2011.

"We should be able to go to an IPO by the time of the delivery of the A350s," he said.

Qatar airways is the largest all-airbus operator in the Middle East and is a customer of the A380 superjumbo.

Last week, it added an additional 20 A350 aircraft to an existing order of 60.

"The first deal was about $13bn and now with the 20 A350-1000s, it will rise to just over $16bn," Al Baker said.

Source: www.gulf-daily-news.com Read More..

Qatar orders 80 Airbus planes but Boeing isn't green with envy

The climate debate may rage, but it has done nothing to sate the appetite of airlines for new planes.

Last week saw a raft of orders, the biggest of which was a massive $16bn (£8bn) request by Qatar Airways for 80 of Airbus's new A350 XWB. The model is the struggling European group's answer to Boeing's wildly successful 787 Dreamliner.

Even so, Airbus is still being beaten nearly two to one on firm orders for new planes this year.

Further browsing: Get the view from Seattle at Seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/

Source: news.independent.co.uk Read More..

Qatar Airways targets premium Indian traveller to US

Targeting India's growing service-conscious overseas air travellers, Qatar Airways Thursday said it is starting a new service to connect seven Indian cities with New York and Washington, using Doha as a mid-point hub with a host of high-end facilities.

'We currently operate daily flights from six cities in India. Out of these six, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kochi will be connected to Washington via Doha from July 19,' Naveen Chawla, regional manager of the airlines, told reporters here.

'Mumbai and Chennai will be connected to New York via Doha beginning June 26 and from Doha, we will have a technical stop at Geneva which is the airline's second destination in Switzerland after Zurich,' he said.

The airline currently has no plans to connect Thiruvananthapuram, their sixth destination in the country, with any of the US cities. But Ahmedabad and Nagpur will be added to the airline's list later this year, Chawla added.

The airline is yet to announce the fares to the US but said the premium class fares may start from Rs.180,000 ($4,400) and the economy class fares from Rs.45,000 ($1,100), exclusive of taxes.

Officials said the price and route taken by the airlines to fly to the US may sound costly and time consuming for an average Indian air traveller but the idea was to offer a premium service.

'Currently we are not looking at the price and time factor. Our unique selling proposition is our premium class terminal at the Doha airport. The Indian market is changing and customers are becoming brand conscious,' Chawla said.

The airways has opened the world's only dedicated first and business class terminal at the Doha International Airport, built at a cost of $90 million, he said.

'We want to promote this terminal that was inaugurated a week before the start of the Asian Games in December. It is exclusively for first and business class fliers and features facilities like exclusive check-in, duty free shopping, spas, sauna and jacuzzi.'

Chawla said the airline was currently looking at 80 percent passenger volume to the US route and will use the Airbus A340 and A330 aircraft for the service. The airline has a fleet of 57 Airbus aircraft.

By IANS
Copyright © 2007 IANS India Private Limited. All rights Reserved.

Source: Yahoo! India News Read More..

Qatar Airways signs contract for 80 A350 jets worth $16 billion

PARIS: Qatar Airways extended a much-needed boost to European jetmaker Airbus on Wednesday by ordering 20 extra A350s, making the airline the largest customer for the wide-body jet with a total order of 80 planes worth US$16 billion (€11.8 billion).

A "memorandum of agreement" was signed by Qatar Airways President Akbar Al Baker in the presence of new French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatari Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The A350 is Airbus' challenger to Boeing Co.'s 787 long-range, mid-sized aircraft.

"It's an enormous order," said Airbus Chief Executive Louis Gallois, who was also present at the signing. "It's one of Airbus' biggest ever orders."

He said that other orders could be in the pipeline, without giving more details.

The Qatar Airways agreement for 20 A350-800s, 40 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s, would be worth some US$16 billion (€11.9 billion) at list prices, but such large purchases usually receive deep discounts. The agreement replaces an earlier one for 60 A350s signed in 2005.

Airbus has also been losing customers to U.S. rival Boeing in the market for mid-sized jets and was forced last year to launch a costly redesign of the planned A350 to compete with Boeing's 777 and 787 Dreamliner, due to enter service in 2008.

Wednesday's agreement comes after a report Tuesday in German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that carriers including Qatar Airways — but also Singapore Airlines Ltd., Emirates and the International Lease Finance Corp. — were pressing Airbus for changes to the A350's fuselage design. Airbus denied it planned any changes.

"Airbus is offering the A350 and continues to offer it with the composite panels which we believe are the best solution," Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said in response to the report Tuesday.

The European planemaker has bet heavily on future demand for superjumbos to serve the world's increasingly congested major airports, yet its A380 craft has been beset by legal, technical and managerial problems. Two years of accumulated delays to the 555-seater A380 have wiped more than €5 billion (US$6.6 billion) off Airbus' profit forecasts for 2006-2010. It also has also been suffering from a falling dollar — the currency in which it sells its planes.

Gallois said Tuesday that Qatar has expressed an interest in investing in Airbus parent EADS, but there have been no specific discussions about the state becoming a shareholder. Sarkozy has vowed his government will seek new investors for EADS, seeking changes to the shareholder pact as existing stakeholders Lagardere SCA and DaimlerChrysler AG seek to reduce their holdings.

The French state owns 15 percent of EADS, while Paris-based Lagardere owns 7.5 percent. Their combined stake is balanced by German holdings by Stuttgart-based DaimlerChrysler and a consortium of private and state-run investors.

Qatar is a U.S.-allied sheikdom in the Persian Gulf that sits atop the world's largest field of natural gas. The country of 800,000 is quickly growing rich on income from exports of natural gas, which is financing the rapid expansion of the capital, Doha, and bankrolling the state-owned airline.

A tourism boom in the Middle East is contributing to the region's air traffic growth, powering the rapid expansion of airports and airlines. The International Air Transport Association forecasts that international passenger air traffic in the Middle East will expand by an average annual growth of 6.9 percent until 2010.

Middle Eastern carriers currently account for just 9 percent of long-haul capacity worldwide, but are responsible for nearly a quarter of all global long-haul aircraft deliveries over the next decade.

Qatar and EADS will sign a contract next month in Doha for radar coverage across the Qatari region, according to David Martinon, a spokesman for Sarkozy.

Airbus claims its A350, made from carbon fiber wings and composites will be lighter per seat and more economical than existing crafts.

The 787's first test plane is scheduled to be ready in July with the plane entering commercial service next May. To date, Boeing has racked up 568 orders for the 787, which it says will be 20 percent more fuel-efficient than comparable jets.

Shares in European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV fell 1.1 percent to €22.98 (US$30.94) in Paris.

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Associated Press Writers Christine Ollivier and Jim Krane contributed to this report.

Source: International Herald Tribune Read More..

QR in recruitment drive

As part of its expansion policy, Qatar Airways is looking to increase its number of Captains and First Officers to fly its new fleet of Boeing 777s, the first of which arrives later this year, reported The Peninsula. Captains will receive a salary of QR48,700 per month, while First Officers will earn QR36,000. Applicants for the position of Captain must be under the age of 62, and First Officers under 50.

Source: AME Info Read More..

Qatar Airways club wins top awards

QATAR Airways Privilege Club (frequent flyer programme) has won eight major awards at the annual Freddie Awards in the United States.

Over 450,000 frequent flyers cast their votes in numerous categories covering the airline, hotel and car rental industry.

Named after the airline industry veteran, the late Sir Freddie Laker who pioneered low-cost travel across the Atlantic, the awards represent “excellence in frequent travel programmes.”

Qatar Airways's awards included the one for the “Loyalty Programme of the Year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa region.”

The awards were presented at a ceremony held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

Recently, Qatar Airways had won the Frequent Flyer Programme Innovation Gold Award in Vancouver, Canada.

The full winning list for Qatar Airways at the 2007 Freddie Awards includes “Programme of the Year Europe, the Middle East and Africa”, “Best Newsletter and Communications, Europe, the Middle East and Africa”, “Best Newsletter and Communications, Asia Pacific”, “Best Website, Asia Pacific”, “Best Customer Service, Asia Pacific”, “Best Customer Service, Europe, Middle East and Africa”, “Best Award Redemption, Europe, the Middle East and Africa” and “Best Elite Level Programme, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker expressed his delight at the latest awards and said it came at an historic time for the airline as it prepared its entry into the US market this summer.

“For an airline that has not yet even started flying to the US, being recognised with these awards is a true recognition of Qatar Airways's position as a quality, international airline in a highly competitive market where frequent flyers are savvy travellers.

The accolades awarded to Qatar Airways Privilege Club demonstrate the hard work and dedication by our staff in making our loyalty programme one of choice for frequent flyers, he said.

“We recognise that frequent travellers spend a lot of time on the road and in the air and I wish to offer my sincere thanks to voters for endorsing Qatar Airways and our Privilege Club.

“We already have a good database of Privilege Club members in the United States, which we expect will grow significantly over the next few weeks and months as we step up our activities to promote our new flights to the United States this summer,” al-Baker added.

Qatar Airways set to launch four flights a week between Doha and New York on June 26, followed by non-stop daily flights from Doha to Washington DC beginning July 19.
Senior manager (loyalty) Iain Webster said the latest awards reflected the amount of work Qatar Airways Privilege Club had put into re-launching its programme to become “one of choice”.

“It is gratifying to receive such overwhelming support from frequent flyers, especially as we recently relaunched Privilege Club and redeveloped our website where members are able to access their accounts and redeem Qmiles for flight awards on-line.

“Qatar Airways Privilege Club has made great strides over the past few years with new benefits and features for our members. We are also proud to have introduced the world's first self-service frequent flyer recruitment kiosk at Doha International Airport, where new members can enroll and receive their membership card within minutes,” he said.

Source: Gulf Times Newspaper Read More..

Qatar Airways scoops historic eight airline loyalty awards in America

As Qatar Airways prepares for its historic launch of scheduled flights to the United States this summer, the airline's Privilege Club frequent flyer programme has been honoured by scooping an unprecedented eight accolades at the annual Freddie Awards in America.

More than 450,000 frequent flyers cast their votes in numerous categories covering the airline, hotel and car rental industry. Named after the airline industry veteran, the late Sir Freddie Laker who pioneered low-cost travel across the Atlantic, the awards represent excellence in frequent travel programmes.

Qatar Airways' honours included the highlight of the evening, being voted for having the Loyalty Programme of the Year in Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The awards were held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, with more than 300 guests present, including travel industry personnel and frequent flyers.

The accolades cap a great few months for Qatar Airways' Privilege Club, which recently won the Frequent Flyer Programme Innovation Gold Award in Vancouver.

The full winning list for Qatar Airways at the 2007 Freddie Awards is:

• Programme of the Year Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Best Newsletter and Communications, Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Best Newsletter and Communications, Asia Pacific

• Best Website, Asia Pacific

• Best Customer Service, Asia Pacific

• Best Customer Service, Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Best Award Redemption, Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Best Elite Level Programme, Europe, Middle East and Africa

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker expressed his delight at the latest awards, coming at an historic time for the airline as it prepares its entry into the US market this summer.

'For an airline that has not yet even started flying to the USA, being recognised with these awards is true recognition of Qatar Airways' position as a quality, international airline in a highly competitive market where frequent flyers are savvy travellers,' he said.

'On behalf of Privilege Club, these accolades awarded to Qatar Airways demonstrate the hard work and dedication by our staff in making our loyalty programme one of choice for frequent flyers.

'We recognise that frequent travellers spend a lot of time on the road and in the air and I wish to offer my sincere thanks to voters for endorsing Qatar Airways and our Privilege Club.

'We already have a good database of Privilege Club members in the United States, which we expect will grow significantly over the next few weeks and months as we step up our activities to promote our new flights to the United States this summer.'

Qatar Airways launches four flights a week between its operational hub of Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, and New York on June 26, followed by non-stop daily flights from Doha to Washington DC beginning July 19. The airline currently serves 75 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Far East from Doha.

Added Al Baker: 'Our Five Star service is renowned worldwide and we are extremely delighted to widen our reach to the United States and offer the travelling public a long-awaited service between the Middle East and US east coast.

'Qatar Airways will be the first airline from the Middle East to serve Washington DC and Newark Liberty International Airport, the gateway to New York City. Both cities promise to be key selling destinations for Qatar Airways.'

Al Baker said that flights to the United States were an historic move for Qatar Airways in a year, which has seen the airline already launch services to Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Chennai, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City.

Senior Manager Loyalty Iain Webster said the latest awards reflected the amount of work Qatar Airways Privilege Club had put into relaunching its programme to become one of choice.

'It is gratifying to receive such overwhelming support from frequent flyers, especially as we recently relaunched Privilege Club and redeveloped our website where members are able to access their accounts and redeem Qmiles for flight awards on-line.

'Qatar Airways Privilege Club has made great strides over the past few years with new benefits and features for our members. We are also proud to have introduced the world's first self-service frequent flyer recruitment kiosk at Doha International Airport, where new members can enrol and receive their membership card within minutes.'

Source: www.ameinfo.com Read More..

Qatar Airways ranks third in UAE, Saudi poll

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) DOHA � Qatar Airways ranked third in a survey of UAE and Saudi travellers behind Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways conducted by Maktoob Research, the full-service online research unit of Maktoob.com.

The survey, titled the 'TravelMonitor Study', was conducted in February 2007. The online study canvassed the opinions of 1,000 UAE and Saudi adult residents who have taken flights over the past 12 months. It covered topics ranging from travel preferences and trends, customer satisfaction levels and customer needs in both the airline and hospitality sectors.

Emirates set the benchmark in the region in terms of overall customer satisfaction with rival airlines not far behind, a Maktoob release said yesterday.

Emirates scored highest with 8.5 on a 10-point scale in overall satisfaction among Saudi and UAE travellers. However, while Emirates was the clear winner in Saudi Arabia, it received some stiff competition on its home turf from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which tied Emirates for the top honours among UAE travelers with 8.5 on a 10-point scale. Qatar Airways came in third with 7.9 points.

Although Emirates had an edge over its competitors in categories such as 'customer-focus', 'distinctive style', 'efficiency', 'innovation', and 'suiting business travelers', it was also rated the 'most expensive' airline.

Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways showed some major gains among UAE travelers when it came to various customer perception factors. They were also tied with low-fare carrier Air Arabia as 'very reasonable' when it came to price perception.

When it came to comfort, family friendliness, and value for money, UAE travelers gave the nod to Etihad Airways which scored 4.3, 4.3 and four respectively on a five-point scale. Etihad and Emirates tied for first place as the most reliable airlines with 4.3 on a five-point scale, with Qatar Airways not far behind with a score of 3.9.

Among Saudi-based airlines, the national carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines, enjoyed the highest votes in the brand awareness category with 79 per cent. Significantly, it received the least number of votes (three on a five-point scale) in the 'value-for-money' category. The study also assessed customer satisfaction across various categories for Business Class, First Class and frequent flyers.

Source: www.menafn.com Read More..

Existing airport to be commercial complex after NDIA operational: Baker

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) doha � The existing premises of the Doha International Airport will be converted to a major commercial-cum-residential area once work on the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) project is completed, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said here yesterday.

He was addressing the annual Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) conference which opened at the Four Seasons Hotel.

While elaborating on the new airport project, Al Baker said that the existing air port will be handed over to Qatari Diar, a leading state-backed real estate development company, once the new airport is ready. Qatar Diar will construct commercial and residential buildings at the area with all the supporting facilities and services.

He said work on the new airport is progressing as scheduled and the facility is expected to be ready by 2009 or 2010. He said the new airport has been designed to accommodate the increasing number of visitors to the country. Over 500,000 visited the country in 2004, and last year the number grew up to 900,000. By 2010, the number is expected to grow up to 1.5 million.

Source: www.menafn.com Read More..

Qatar Airways NY flight from June 28

Qatar Airways yesterday gave out further details of its summer expansion programme, which includes flights to Washington and New York in the US. Washington flights will commence from July 19 and New York from June 28.

A release said the airline will fly four-times-a-week between Doha and Newark's Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on the US East Coast. The flight will operate via Geneva — the airline's second destination in Switzerland — following its services to Zurich, also operated four-times-a-week.

Addressing media yesterday at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) being held in Dubai, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Akbar Al Baker presented an update on the airline's growth plans to the US and new destinations during 2007.

"Qatar Airways is preparing for its biggest route launches of the year with both New York and Washington DC coming on line this summer. We look forward to adding yet another continent to our growing network offering our passengers flying from Doha and other cities across the GCC and the Indian subcontinent with excellent connections to both New York and Washington DC."

He added: "Qatar Airways will be the first airline from the Middle East to serve Washington D.C and Newark International Airport, the gateway to New York City. Both cities promise to be key selling destinations for Qatar Airways."

In another announcement, he said: "Qatar Airways recognises the importance of key neighbouring markets like the UAE to feed traffic on to our network and I am pleased to announce that we are stepping up frequency on the Doha-Dubai route with an additional daily flight, taking our operation from seven, to eight flights a day."

At the trade show in Dubai, Qatar Airways celebrated its US destinations with the airline's stand showing off cheerleaders and Marilyn Monroe and Elvis impersonators.

Source: www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Read More..

Qatar Airways ‘US roadshow’ ready to roll

QATAR Airways will kick off a ‘USA roadshow’ across the Gulf region later this month, promoting its new destinations New York (Liberty International Airport, Newark) and Washington DC. The airline has also put on spotlight its new North American destinations at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.

The New York service commences on June 28 and Washington DC on July 19.
While Washington DC is non-stop, the Qatar Airways flight to the Newark airport would be through Geneva.

The airline said “a carnival atmosphere surrounded Qatar Airways’ exhibition stand at the ATM”, as the airline moved into overdrive promoting its two new summer routes to the United States.

Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe impersonators were on hand singing the praises of the airline’s new routes to New York and Washington DC.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar al-Baker said, “This is an exciting time for Qatar Airways with numerous firsts occurring during 2007, including the launch of our new flights to both New York and Washington.

A key part of our route expansion programme includes Qatar Airways’ new services to North America, one of the busiest travel regions in the world.

With a core part of our business to the US coming from the GCC region, travel trade events like ATM are an important platform from which to promote these new destinations.

“We’ve already launched five new destinations and increased frequency on numerous other routes. The addition of New York and Washington, as well as Geneva and Stockholm will make it nine new destinations this year alone,” he said.

Beginning with ATM, Qatar Airways has launched a US media campaign across leading English and Arabic publications in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, promoting the new US routes.

Source: www.gulf-times.com Read More..

Qatar Airways launches Net booking

Qatar Airways has launched its new Internet Booking Engine. The facility allows passengers anywhere in the world to search for a Qatar Airways flight across the whole network, book and pay online and have tickets issued automatically through its website www.qatarairways.com

The new booking engine provides passengers with greater flexibility in making reservations from the comfort of their home or office 24-hours a day.

A unique feature of the new site is the facility to find the lowest fare, which displays different flight options across a wide range of dates.

As a bonus to book online, members of Qatar Airways' Privilege Club loyalty programme will receive an extra 500 Qmiles.

The new booking engine offers online credit card payments and customers can choose to collect a paper ticket or receive an electronic ticket confirmation to their email address, issued instantly 24 hours a day, seven days a week upon confirming bookings.

The facility is part of a series of initiatives being introduced by Qatar Airways over the next few months, said a release yesterday.

As part of its commitment to e-commerce, the airline will introduce more web-based services and have a new-look website, beginning this summer.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said as the airline was growing at an unprecedented rate, it was striving to ensure passengers are provided with more ease and greater levels of comfort during the booking process. "Qatar Airways has a committed strategy to develop the e-commerce side of our business," he said.

Source: www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Read More..

Banks arrange $200mn loan for Qatar Airways

QATAR National Bank (QNB) and Standard Chartered Bank Qatar yesterday announced that they had arranged a $200mn syndicated term loan facility for Qatar Airways.

Commenting on the facility, QNB’s acting chief executive Ali Shareef al-Emadi said bank’s participation in the syndication underscores its strategy to invest in vital upcoming projects in Qatar, while demonstrating the long-standing partnership with Qatar Airways and Standard Chartered Bank.

“The involvement forms part of QNB’s strategic plans, in line with its vision, development fundamentals and result-oriented initiatives,” he said.
Standard Chartered Bank Qatar chief executive officer Kris Babicci said the partnership with Qatar’s national carrier showcased the ability to leverage both Standard Chartered Bank’s international market position and QNB’s domestic strength to provide the breadth and depth in financing solutions.

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker stated that the agreement demonstrated the level of commitment by financial institutions in Qatar Airways as an airline highly focused on growth.

“I am delighted that QNB and Standard Chartered Bank have chosen to support Qatar Airways as we continue to expand with vigour,” he added.
Qatar Airways currently operates a fleet of 57 all-Airbus aircraft to 75 cities across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Far East and the Indian subcontinent.

Net booking engine launched

QATAR Airways has launched a new Internet booking engine, allowing passengers anywhere in the world to search for a Qatar Airways flight across the network, book and pay online and have tickets issued automatically through its website, www.qatarairways.com.

The new booking engine provides passengers with greater flexibility in making reservations from their home or office 24-hours a day, an airline official said.
One of the features of the new site was the lowest fare finder facility, which displayed different flight options across a wide range of dates.
As a bonus to book online, members of Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club loyalty programme would receive an extra 500 Qmiles.

The website offers online credit card payments and customers could choose to collect a paper ticket or receive an electronic ticket confirmation to their e-mail address, issued instantly 24-hours a day, seven days a week upon confirming bookings.
The facility is part of a series of initiatives being introduced by the airline over the next few months.

As part of its commitment to e-commerce, the airline would introduce more web-based services and have a new-look website, beginning this summer, the official said.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said as the airline was growing at an unprecedented rate, it was striving to ensure passengers were provided with more ease and greater levels of comfort during the booking process.

“As we grow our business - and we are growing at an incredible rate - we recognise the importance of providing all our passengers with easier processes and the new-look booking engine will definitely make the booking procedure more convenient.”

Source: www.gulf-times.com Read More..

Qatar Airways Looks At Alternative Fuels

Natural Gas-Derived Fuel May Power Airliners. Bahrain's Gulf Daily News reports Qatar Airways plans to fuel its aircraft with natural gas.

The company's chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said the state-owned airline is talking to oil giant Royal Dutch Shell and engine manufacturers about using a form of diesel made from natural gas, known as GTL, or Gas-to-Liquids fuel, in its planes.

"We are talking to Shell and as soon as the engine manufacturers have certified their engines to be used with GTL, Qatar Airways will be the first airline to fuel its airplanes with GTL," Al Baker stated. "I was told they would get certification by the end of the year."

Qatar has the world's third-largest gas reserves, and is keen to develop the use of GTL. ExxonMobil decided last month to abandon a multi-billion dollar GTL project in Qatar because of rising costs.

Qatar Petroleum and South Africa's Sasol are set to launch production of GTL at their plant in Qatar, with first sales expected later this month.

Source: www.aero-news.net Read More..

Aeroflot, Qatar Airways want A350s from Airbus

MOSCOW - Russian state carrier Aeroflot will acquire 22 A350 widebody jets, while Qatar Airways is in talks with Airbus on a purchase of 80 A350s, the airlines said Thursday -- good news for the troubled planemaker.

Aeroflot also could soon sign a contract to buy 10 to 15 smaller A330s as part of a major upgrade of its fleet, said airline spokeswoman Irina Dannenberg.

Delivery of the A330s would begin by the end of 2008 under an "operating lease" agreement, while the A350s would be delivered starting in 2015, Dannenberg said. A final contract for both models would be signed in coming weeks.

She refused to say how much the deal would be worth.

The $15.3 billion A350 program is touted as Airbus' answer to rival Boeing Co.' s 777 and the upcoming 787 in the lucrative market for long-range, midsize planes. Airbus also has to renegotiate most of its 102 A350 sales with customers who ordered an earlier version of the plane that was scrapped.

A major A350 sale would be a boost at a difficult time for Airbus. It has been beset by management and financial crises, including a two-year delay to its double-decker A380 superjumbo that wiped more than $6.6 billion off the company's profit forecasts.

Airbus is seeking to recoup those losses by cutting 10,000 jobs and spinning off or closing six of its European manufacturing plants.

The Aeroflot order also comes amid continuing struggles in Russia for Boeing, whose competing efforts to supply the airline with 22 787s have been stymied by what some analysts say is the chill in relations between Washington and Moscow.

"The talks (with Boeing) are frozen," Aeroflot's Dannenberg said.

Qatar Airways, meanwhile, confirmed that it was in talks with Airbus for the purchase of 80 A350s.

The fast-expanding airline -- which now operates a fleet of 53 Airbus aircraft -- said it was interested in three variants of the aircraft and hoped to confirm new orders soon, according to an e-mailed statement.

Source: www.kansas.com Read More..

Qatar Airways Confirms Talks With Airbus

Qatar Airways Confirms It's in Talks With Airbus About Purchasing 80 A350 Wide-Body Jets

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Qatar Airways on Thursday confirmed it is in talks with Airbus on a purchase of 80 A350 wide-body jets.

The fast-expanding airline said it is interested in three variants of the European-made aircraft and hoped to confirm new orders soon, according to an e-mailed statement.

Qatar Airways, which operates a fleet of 53-all Airbus aircraft, announced two years ago that it planned to buy 60 A350s, but is now considering an additional 20 aircraft, spokeswoman Sigrid Rath said. The A350s would fly on the carrier's medium- and long-haul routes.

A major sale of the A350 would be a boost at a difficult time for Airbus. It has been beset by management and financial crises, including a two-year delay to its double-decker A380 superjumbo that wiped more than euro5 billion ($6.6 billion) off profit forecasts.

Airbus is seeking to recoup those losses by cutting 10,000 jobs and spinning off or closing six of its European manufacturing plants.

The A350 is a mid-sized jet designed to rival Boeing's fuel-efficient 787.

The airline's negotiations were reported earlier by the Financial Times, which quoted chief executive Akbar Al Baker as saying that Qatar Airways was "close" to signing a letter of intent with the European airspace consortium. Al Baker said a purchase contract could be signed by midyear.

In Toulouse, in southwest France, Airbus spokeswoman Laetitia Stauff said Thursday that she could not confirm a Qatar order.

The Financial Times reported that Qatar Airways is expected to complete an order for 80 aircraft, with the formal signing likely at the Paris airshow in June.

By Jim Krane, Associated Press Writer
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Qatar Airways plans mega order of new A350 jets from Airbus

PARIS (AFP) - Qatar Airways said on Thursday it plans to buy 80 Airbus A350 aircraft for about 17.2 billion dollars (13 billion euros), in what would be one of the biggest orders ever for the crisis-hit aircraft maker.

The order would also be a huge boost for the new version of the A350XWB long-haul airliner, in replacement of an earlier project which was abandoned because of disaffection by potential customers.

The chief executive of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker told told the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday that his airline was "on the point of signing" a letter of intent for the purchase of the new enlarged jet.

His remarks are also a timely expression of confidence in Airbus, the day before tens of thousands of Airbus worker at factories across Europe are due to down tools to protest restructuring and the loss of 10,000 jobs.

Airbus and its parent EADS say the measures are now urgent to save 5.0 billion euros (6.6 billion dollars) by 2010 in a response to problems caused by delays in production of the star product, the A380 superjumbo jet. The delays have led to the loss of some orders and discussion of terms with some clients.

Al Baker also said the airline, which had already placed two firm orders for the A380, would convert two options into firm orders and was considering raising this figure.

Airbus declined to comment on the interview.

The Qatar Airways chief executive said the airline would sign the contract in the middle of 2007, and the newspaper said it might be signed formally at the Paris-Le Bourget air show in June.

This would confirm and increase the interest of the airline in the A350. The company had signed a letter of intent to buy 60 of the airliners under the initial specification in 2005 but had not converted this into a firm order, and this had raised doubts about its commitment to the plane.

The airline had expressed concern about delays to development of the project, and in 2006 Al Baker had warned that is would not wait indefinitely.

Airbus, and its parent group EADS, decided in December, in the depths of their crisis over production delays and organisation, to go ahead with a revamped A350XWB programme costing 10.0 billion euros (13.2 billion dollars) to compete with the 787 Dreamliner offered by US manufacturer Boeing.

This cost of developing the new version, with an enlarged fuselage, is twice as high as the investment budget planned for the old project, abanonded because customers considered that the resulting aircraft would have been too similar to the existing A330.

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
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