Recent Article from Peninsula(6/3)
"Qatar Airways has announced plans to operate an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) configured for A319 long range operations. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg recently that the aircraft, Qatar’s second ACJ, was scheduled to enter service in mid-2003 and would be named ‘Oryx Long Range.’ Qatar’s first ACJ is in operation with the airline since mid-2001, carrying the name ‘Oryx Express.’ The A319 Long Range is the latest addition to the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, combining the performance capabilities of the ACJ with the qualities of a premium-class airliner. The ACJ, a longer-range version of the A319, can fly as far as 11,100 km.
Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways is proud to be known as an all-Airbus airline. Our relationship with Airbus has stood the test of time and we both have grown from strength to strength due to our close ooperation during the past year.” He recalled that Qatar Airways was the launch customer of the ACJ and again the airline will be one of the first to buy the Airbus Superjumbo A380, “an aircraft which will prove to be the pride of the owners and envy of their competitors.”
The CEO said by the end of the current year, Qatar Airways will have a fleet of 28 airplanes, all Airbus aircraft. While the Oryx Express is configured to accommodate 36 passengers, the Oryx Long Range will feature a two-class cabin layout for up to 110 passengers. Both aircraft will fly on a network that includes destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Subcontinent and Asia. As an addition to the airliner passenger cabin, an Air Medical Unit can be fitted in about one hour in place of two seats and stowage.