More aircraft for Qatar Airways

[ddd]

DOHA • Qatar Airways is expected to announce a major aircraft order from Airbus Industrie at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, to be held from July 14 to July 20.

While airline officials here remain tight-lipped, it is significant the airline and the plane-maker will be holding a joint press conference at the Airbus chalet in Farnborough.

When Qatar Airways first started up, it was a die-hard Airbus customer before the airline decided to diversify its fleet and began to induct Boeings. Qatar Airways already has orders for over 200 new aircraft, combining for a value of an estimated $30bn. The airline will add a third Boeing 777 to its 62-strong fleet later this summer.

Aircraft which it has on order include 80 Airbus A350s, five A380 super-jumbos, 60 Boeing 787 'Dreamliners' and 30 Boeing 777s.

Manufacturers are now increasingly looking to the Middle East, particularly the GCC region, to shore up their order books. While soaring jet fuel prices have led to airlines all over the world cutting down on aircraft orders or even grounding jets, the GCC is where most orders are now coming from.

Other than Qatar Airways, carriers like Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways and Dubai-based Emirates Airline, for example, are on a buying spree, fuelled by rising revenues from high oil and gas prices. Etihad has already said a big announcement is set to be made from its side at Farnborough for an order of 50 to 100 planes. Emirates, too, will undoubtedly order more aircraft, perhaps even adding to the 58 A380s it has already booked with the European manufacturer.

Qatar Airways will require more aircraft as its present fleet strength has meant it has not been able to embark on route expansions as quickly as it would have liked. Australia, for instance, will have to wait due to a shortage of long-range aircraft and delayed deliveries due to assembly line problems are not helping at all.

However, Qatar Airways has agreements in place with plane-makers allowing it to receive suitable cash compensation for any delays in deliveries of aircraft.

The airline will once again take part in Farnborough, held every two years, with the delegation to be led by Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO. The airline will have a chalet of its own for VIP guests. It will be the only carrier to have an exhibit at Farnborough, usually a destination for manufacturers of aircraft and aviation-related equipment.

[P.Clostermann]

Ok...right....Huray!

And who is going to operate these new birds, who is going to maintain them, where are we going to park them?

We have all heard these stories before and sure, they will do another announcement next week!

But you have to ask yourself questions regarding the credibility of these announcements. I am sure Airbus and Boeing are very aware not to base their production line decisions on GCC foundations...

[Londonlads]

And what happened to AAB's comment on World Air Routes' DVD in which he says he doesn't want QR to be one of those larger airlines?

[skya320]

Very impressive aircraft order. Lots of money to spend on equipments, but NO money to spend on their staff like pilots or even improving quality of life... :D:D

[salamalikum2]

Let's wait first for the new airport to be finished before even thinking of bringing hundred of new aircrafts..:uhoh:
I heard the completion has been delayed by ...2 years (2011 instead of 2009) well at least for the time being..

[PIPE RIDER]

Ah new aircraft......

Who will fly them?? theare are more cheap pilots everywhere...AAB reply

Where will we park them? we will invent another empty intra gulf flight so aircraft will be parked somewhere.....AAB way of thinking..

New routes? we will invent some more thin routes and frequencies ...AAB comercial department..

Worldwide announcements? of course because EY did it too... AAB ego

[On Final]

I have heard from many posts that pilots are unhappy and don't last long at Qatar. It is just what I have heard. I think they will have a hard time staffing those birds unless they create a better environment for pilots.

[boiler]

Don't look for AUH for parking the planes. EY ordered 100 planes and another 100 in options. I am just wondering where all the passengers are going to come from to fill all those EY, QR, and EK planes, not to mention pilots flying them. I suppose we will need some major bankruptcies from around the world for this to happen.

[Qatari515]

Dream on mate, dream on!

Too many pilots are going to be jobless within 12 months and the the boss knows this very well...

[notanotherhilton]

You Disneyland flyers do make me laugh. Capacity reductions, shutdowns, redundancies, cutbacks, terms and conditions being downgraded in the airline industry over here, and you "Slaves" are looking for bonuses.

Why not phone up your fellow "Slave" Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe he can help you with your juice and nuts campaign.

[Londonlads]

Base out of DOH will probably NEVER happen.

[salamalikum2]

Nota:
Talking about cutting terms and condition in Europe...:

Do you known that here the Qatari Riyal (and his best friend the U$) has devaluated by more than 40% v/s euro since i joined this airline, and the actual inflation here is around 15%(4% in europe), and of course here no pension.
Yes indeed i think it's time for a well deserved Bonus....

[notanotherhilton]

salimalikum

The currency I get paid in (sterling) has devalued 28% against the currency I convert to (euro) over the last 12 months....doubt I'll get a bonus though.

I give 41% of almost everything I earn to the government.

My energy costs have gone up 35% in the last 12 months

My food costs have gone up 30% in the last 12 months

My mortage repayments have gone up 400 euro per month in 2 years due to higher interest rates caused by high eurozone inflation - a 1% increase in inflation in Europe makes a MASSIVE difference

I supplement my company pension, if I dont I'll just about have enough to live for the 30 years retirement I'll hopefully enjoy after 60. You are living in DREAMLAND if you think the vast majority of European airlines offer big pensions anymore.

My wife works....she has to.

Its obvious you guys dont live in Western Europe with a young family to raise anymore? You seem completley removed from the financial realities of life here at present.

[QTRminator]

I feel so sorry for you guys suffering back in west Europe...
Its getting more expensive everywhere now.
Fact remains, it HAS to be a lot better in the Gulf, than home to attract people but the difference is not like it was before. Also remember many of us have costs both in the Gulf and back home.
Im getting more and more curious about the motives behind your numerous posts, NAH, trying to picture us as spoiled. :confused: Question remains, if it was so good here, why did you go back? Like you said, we cant have all, but for you the package here wasnt enough to make you stay. We all would prefer to live near our home, near our extended families, otherwise we have to be adequotely compensated. You were not compensated enough to make you stay, simple.

[kotakota]

Its all very well spending all this windfall oil and gas dosh on buying shiny new toys and entering the ' Greatest Airline In The World' contest that is going on in the Gulf at the mo , but the only way they will be crewed safely is that the looming recession in the West will force many crew to move Gulfside. The spanner in the works is that the West will be expected to provide the bums-on-seats , which will not happen unless the oil price drops ..........which , of course , may well happen when the oil states have earned too much to spend ---shades of the 70s ?
The planners in the Gulf should take care to read the press about how shaky things really are in the West , and indeed in many poorer countries , and not be too surprised when the 'numbers' fail to materialise after all the surcharges etc have been applied in the years ahead . Opec should realise that taxing the west has its backlashes.

[notanotherhilton]

''I feel so sorry for you guys suffering back in west Europe...
Its getting more expensive everywhere now.
Fact remains, it HAS to be a lot better in the Gulf, than home to attract people but the difference is not like it was before. Also remember many of us have costs both in the Gulf and back home.
Im getting more and more curious about the motives behind your numerous posts, NAH, trying to picture us as spoiled. Question remains, if it was so good here, why did you go back? Like you said, we cant have all, but for you the package here wasnt enough to make you stay. We all would prefer to live near our home, near our extended families, otherwise we have to be adequotely compensated. You were not compensated enough to make you stay, simple''



I never said I was suffering and I'm not complaining. I'm happy to live at home. I'm just illustrating the financial realities of life in Western Europe right now which some of you seem very remote from. I left to raise my family at home. I'm not any better off financially in Europe and status wise I'll be an FO for the next 10 years, so no improvement over QR there either.

The Gulf IS better than home for many people and it will continue to be, its called Globalisation, another reality and good luck to those people!

If you have costs home and away, thats your problem for you to deal with. Dont expect the CEO of any airline to be interested in your financial affairs. Your life, your finances, your decisions....make good ones, you'll live by them.

The ''Package'' would never have been good enough for me to stay in Doha. Im happy being a financially ''surviving'' FO in Europe with a financially ''surviving'' wife and too 2 kids who love their Grandma.

If you want a command in the next 5 years....dont go to QR
If you want to retire a millionaire in 15 years time.....dont go to QR
If you cant work with other cultures but your own...dont go to QR

Anyway I must away now from the ivory tower I reside in. I need to pick up some free money from the government here before I meet the Chuck Yeager I always fly with and if I'm lucky I'll bump into the Jesus incarnates who manage this jolly old airline I call home.

Good luck to you all.

[IcarusRising]

HUHHH !! What are you talking about ?

[P.Clostermann]

Qatar Airways adds to Gulf's plane orders at Farnborough
7 hours ago
FARNBOROUGH, England (AFP) — Gulf nations savoring the fruits of rocketing energy prices boosted orders for new fuel-efficient passenger planes at the Farnborough International Air-show on Tuesday.
Qatar Airways announced at a press conference that it intended to purchase four single-aisle Airbus passenger jets worth a total of 361 million dollars (226 million euros).
The company, on the second day of the Farnborough show outside London, added that it had taken the option of buying a further two A321 planes, bringing the total order up to a possible six.
"Concluding this deal with Airbus ... will further assist Qatar Airways in the rapid development of its regional network," the airline's chief executive Akbar al Baker said.
He added that the intended purchase of fuel-efficient Airbus planes continued to support the airline's growth "at a time when the airline industry as a whole is struggling with the impact of prevailing high fuel prices."



:}:auk::}:auk::}

possible 6 airplanes....things DO change!

This must be the end of an era, unless more announcements will be made this week!

[salamalikum2]

Well you can't order hundred of aircrafts evey year......!
By the way mr AAB has probably changed his mindfor this year..: he has decided to invest in crew(by increasing salary) rather than buying new A/C...:}:}:p

[THR MCT]

Should be considered the smartest move of this year from Qr
first let them do the cleaning and the damage repair caused by the lake of human power management then we can order chiny A/C for the year :ugh:2038
in the meantime fly high fast and safe:{