Qatar Airways to get five 787 Dreamliners this year

Qatar Airways is earmarked to receive five 787 Dreamliners in addition to many Airbus A320s and Boeing 777s this year, chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker has said. “On an average we receive one new aircraft every 15 days,” al-Baker said in Doha yesterday. The airline has on order some 60 Boeing 787s including options, 12 Boeing 777s, including freighters and options, 80 Airbus A320 Neos (including options) and three Airbus A320s (family aircraft) besides Airbus A350s and A380-800s. Qatar Airways was awaiting the “title transfer” of its first 787 Dreamliner, he said. “We have a team that is at the moment in the process of customer walk around, prior to delivery. The first arrival of the aircraft will be one month after the title transfer because our 787 will be the first one installed with connectivity. It will fly to Charleston - a Boeing facility, from Everett, where it will get connectivity installed within 30 days, get certified and become ready for delivery,” he said. Qatar Airways has a steady stream of Boeing 777 deliveries, though al-Baker admitted the airline has “problem with 787 deliveries”. “The problem is technical though there are issues with regard to the quality of the cabin. Qatar Airways is very meticulous about our cabins and we will not take a cabin even if there is just a scratch.” In the current financial year that will end in April, 2013, Qatar Airways is expecting to fly “very close to 17mn passengers”. On the impact of the high oil price on the airline industry, he said: “Qatar Airways did not make profit in the last financial year on a net basis; we had a very small loss because of the huge increase in the oil price. This was faced by most of the carriers worldwide. If you look at the statistics, every single carrier, which was very profitable, had a slump in profit in excess of 80%. “Qatar Airways had a modest profit because we are expanding aggressively and this needs a lot of investment and the return of investment does not happen instantly. Based on our performance on operation and EBITDA   (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) levels, we were 47% above the previous year.” Asked whether Qatar Airways was keen on joining a global alliance of airlines, al-Baker said: “We are always looking at the options we have... and  are looking at all the three alliances... but we have not made up our mind.” On route expansion, he said: “We will focus on whichever region where there is an opportunity. We will look at regions or destinations that are under served. These could be in Asia, Africa or South America. In the US also, we are going to expand.” New airport opening set for June The opening of the first phase of Qatar’s planned $11bn new airport will be delayed until June next year after a contractor was dropped from the project, said Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker. The airport was originally due to open this December.  “It is because we asked a contractor to demobilise, because they were falling behind the milestones. It was a unanimous decision by the committee building the airport to appoint another contractor.” Baker declined to give the name of the new contractor, but said it would be responsible for construction of all 18 airport lounges. The planned airport is to be opened in three phases and completed by 2015, with eventual capacity to accommodate 50mn passengers.