By Pratap John/Chief Business Reporter
Qatar Airways will acquire some 11 new aircraft over the next two months, Group Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker has said.
These include the Airbus A320neo, for which Qatar Airways is the launch customer and will be its first recipient.
Speaking to Gulf Times yesterday al-Baker said he hoped to take delivery of the first A320neo before the year-end.
“As I said earlier, there is already a month’s slippage. Airbus was supposed to have delivered the first A320neo to us in October,” al-Baker pointed out.
Qatar Airways’ A320neo will be powered by Pratt & Whitney. The airline data show that it has some 80 A320neos on order including options.
“The engine is still under certification. And we hope that the engine will be certified so that they can deliver the aeroplane to us, keeping in mind that Airbus will not deliver any aircraft to its customers unless it is absolutely satisfied that their engines meet all the certification criteria.
“As of today, we have been advised by Airbus that once the engine is certified, they will deliver two aeroplanes to us… this year.”
Al-Baker said Qatar Airways would also receive Boeing 787, 777, Airbus A350 and Airbus A330-Freighter over the next two months.
He said the airline would “evaluate the case” for buying a stake in Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) to help extend its reach into the under-served travel markets of West Africa and the Sahara.
The airline has already secured a code-share deal with RAM and would like to bring it into the ‘oneworld’ alliance in the “not too distant future,” al-Baker said.
“We’ll evaluate if we can be a partner, a stakeholder, in Royal Air Maroc in the future,” al-Baker said.
“Qatar Airways is always open to investing in airlines with strong synergy,” he said.
In reply to another question, al-Baker said Qatar Airways and other Gulf carriers were helping to create jobs in the US.
“Qatar Airways and the other Gulf carriers are constantly creating new jobs for the Americans by ordering more aeroplanes and expanding our network as we add frequencies to the United States,” he said.
“We are also creating additional jobs and contributing to the American economy.”
Earlier, three US airlines — Delta, American and United have launched a complaint that Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates broke the so-called “Open-Skies” agreement through receiving government subsidies.
The complaint is being investigated by the US departments of state, commerce and transportation.
Asked what he thought the outcome of the Washington investigation would be, al-Baker replied: “I am not person that should answer this question... it’s entirely up to the American administration.”
But he added that he had faith in the regulators.
“The American administration is evaluating all the complaints of the three American carriers and the decision will be with the American administration,” he said.
“The American administration at the end will see what is in the best interest of the American public and not in the best interest of the three American carriers.”
30mn passengers by year-end
Qatar Airways will have flown nearly 30mn passengers by the year-end, Group Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker has said.
The national carrier exceeded more than 26mn passengers in 2014/15, he said yesterday. Hamad International Airport (HIA) has become a “key regional and global aviation hub” with Qatar Airways managing the airport, al-Baker said.
Once fully developed, the airport is expected to handle up to 50mn passengers a year.
One of HIA’s key features is that it 60% of the site is built on reclaimed land from the Arabian Gulf.
Akbar al-Baker
