“We could be interested in that aircraft,” he said. “It will have few more passengers compared to the 777-300ER, but much less fuel burn. Nevertheless, this would be a big investment and we have to analyze if this [investment] covers the current 777.”
The Boeing 777X is the next-generation 777.
Al Baker sees the Airbus A350-1000 as the competitor for the 777X. “We need the A350 for growth and replacement of our A330 fleet. Also, the [A350] aircraft will be available four to five years earlier than the 777X,” he said. “I couldn’t wait. The 777X may be ready by the end of the decade. That’s why we go for the A350,” which should be available earlier.
The fast-expanding Arab carrier had previously ordered 80 aircraft spread across the three-model range—20 A350-800s, 40 -900s and 20 -1000s. Qatar’s amended order comprises 43 -900s and 37 -1000s.
In other fleet news, Qatar is expecting delivery of its first A380 this month.
Al Baker plans to launch another 12 new routes this year, “but this depends on the 787 issue.” All five Qatar Airways 787 are grounded. “To us, the aircraft was performing perfectly. But I’m not talking about the technical performance, [such as] fuel burning.” The grounding of the 787s delayed opening of new destinations. Because of the grounding, “utilization of other aircraft has gone higher,” he said.
Al Baker said increased seat capacity on several aircraft has led to improved economical performance. “The Boeing 777LR is a very heavy aircraft, but it gives us the unlimited range where we want to go. Qatar operates nine 259-seat 777-200LRs.
“We [are] reconfiguring our four A340-600s by adding additional 60 seats and removing first class,” he said. The A340-600 offers 306 seats.
(Kurt Hofmannm - ATWOnline News)
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