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Newsroom
By Pratap John
February 27, 2008
Qatar Airways will have handled some 9mn passengers in one year up to March, the airline chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker has said.
We have seen a 31% increase in our passenger numbers this financial year compared with 2006 and 2007, he told Gulf Times yesterday.
Al-Baker said the national carrier had done well in the cargo segment as well.
Our cargo segment has grown by about 60% year-on-year, he said.
Qatar Airways is one of the world's fastest growing airlines currently operating 60 Airbus and Boeing aircraft to 81 destinations worldwide.
Al-Baker said the airline fleet would touch 70 by the year-end. Among the fleet will be seven Boeing 777s by 2008-end. This will include a pair of Boeing 777-200LRs which will start operating to Houston, Qatar Airways third destination in the US, in October / November.
He said Qatar Airways had already pressed into service a Boeing 777-300ER to Washington DC which was earlier served by an Airbus A340. The airline's other destination in the US Newark - will continue to be served by an Airbus A330. Newark (Liberty International Airport) is Qatar Airways first destination in the US.
In future, all Qatar Airways long-range routes will be served by Boeing 777s.
Al-Baker said the national carrier would be adding only three destinations to its worldwide network this year. Besides Houston, Guangzhou in China will be brought online in April. The third destination this year will be announced in due course.
Apparently, there will be more aircraft delivery this year for Qatar Airways than newer routes. We will be using the new aircraft to enhance our network, the airline CEO said.
On recent reports in the Indian media that Qatar Airways would be flying to Kozhikode in Kerala soon al-Baker said, We will see. I cannot comment on something which I don't have with me.
Qatar Airways will operate a fleet of 110 aircraft by 2013 almost double the existing size. Qatar Airways has ordered 80 Airbus A350s, 60 Boeing 787s and 32 Boeing 777s, with deliveries of the latter having started in November 2007.
The airline is a launch customer of the twin-deck Airbus A380 super jumbo with five aircraft on order and scheduled for delivery from 2010.
Copyright © 2008 - Gulf Time News
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