Qatar Airways continues to set new benchmarks in the aviation sector. The multiple award winning airline yesterday announced new plans including taking delivery of new aircraft, buying 49 percent stake in RwandAir, Rwanda’s national carrier, and adding new routes to its network.
Qatar Airways’ fleet size has grown by 57 percent, driven by its aggressive global expansion plan. Its fleet has grown from 159 aircraft in 2014-15 to 250 aircraft as of March last year. The airline will have 90 aircraft on order out of which it will take delivery of 40 aircraft this year.
2019 was another year of great achievement for Qatar Airways. The airline continued its strategy of investing in the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft to drive its ambitious route network growth.
Through the course of the year, 32 aircraft were delivered to its Doha headquarters, including its 250th, an Airbus A350-900 in March. By the close of the year, the total combined fleet size of passenger, cargo and Qatar Executive (QE) was 259.
Continuing its proud record of being one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, Qatar Airways launched a range of new destinations in 2019, namely: Davao, Philippines; Gaborone, Botswana; Izmir, Turkey; Langkawi, Malaysia; Lisbon, Portugal; Mogadishu, Somalia; Rabat, Morocco; and Valletta, Malta, increasing the carrier’s network to over 160 destinations.
The airline also added a host of new increased frequencies to dozens of destinations including Amman, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kuwait, Larnaca, Manchester, Miami, Milan, Penang and Vienna. Such additions are designed to give more choice and flexibility for both business and leisure passengers as well as offering flexible cargo options.
Qatar Airways Cargo concluded a very successful 2019, taking delivery of six new Boeing 777 freighters and launching new freighter destinations such as Almaty, Guadalajara, and Singapore along with capacity increases to several destinations. The airline also added Hanoi and Singapore on its popular and high-demand transpacific route connecting Asia directly to the Americas.
Cargo capacity was also introduced to nine new belly-hold destinations, demonstrating the carrier’s commitment to its customers and the growing global trade. For the financial year 2018-19, cargo revenue witnessed growth of 16.8 percent with cargo capacity growing 11.8 percent annually. Qatar Airways Cargo also placed an order for five more Boeing 777 freighters at the Paris Air Show in June 2019.
The airlines’s achievements are proof that Qatar Airways will always provide its passengers with the very best onboard experience every time they travel with it.
