Qatar Airways became one of the most influential and innovative airlines in with world after it made many achievements in a short period of time.
The carrier won the Best Airline in the World award four times by Skytrax.
2017/2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the airline and the introduction of the first Airbus 1000-A350, which was the most important events during the past year.
During the last fiscal year, Qatar Airways added a total of 14 new destinations, providing people with more travel options to major business and tourism destinations around the world.
Despite the challenges faced by the company due to the blockade, Qatar Airways won a record number of awards in 2017, with a rate of an award each week and more than 50 awards during the year.
Qatar Airways took the lead again when it won the World's Best Airline for 2017 by Skytrax for the fourth time in its history.
It also won the Best Business Class of the Year, Best Airline in the Middle East and Best First Class Passenger Lounge in the world.
Qatar Airways is currently supporting the ongoing consultations with the European Union to complete the Comprehensive EU Air Transport Agreement, which aims to free the aviation system between Qatar and the member states of the Union.
Qatar Airways also welcomed the European Commission's efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement between EU and Qatar and, over the past 18 months, it supported bilateral talks aimed at cooperation in the civil aviation sector.
During 2018, Qatar Airways launched flights to Cardiff, Mykonos and Malaga.
It affirmed that it will continue to explore further growth opportunities to enhance its access to more markets and improve its relationship with its European partners in the aviation sector.
Qatar Airways continued, last year, to expand, which reflect the company's desire to grow despite the challenges.
Qatar Airways welcomed last year its 200th aircraft.
Its fleet since last March has been 213 aircraft.
Currently, it is using one of the most modern fleet of aircraft.
In February 2018, Qatar Airways received the world's first Airbus 1000-A350, the first in a purchase order of 37 aircraft.
It was also the first Airbus aircraft equipped with Qsuite seats for Business Class passengers.
In September and December of 2017, the airline added two Boeing 747-8 cargo aircraft to its fleet to support Qatar Airway's cargo operations.
It is important to point out that Qatar Airways is the second largest air cargo company in the world.
It has 23 modern cargo aircraft, which paves the way for it to become one of the most important subsidiaries of Qatar Airways Group.
The company said that it will invest to expand its cargo fleet by announcing a purchase order for four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft worth $4.1bn.
The new aircraft are expected to be added to 95 Boeing aircraft with wide body.
There is also a purchase order for 116 Boeing aircraft in addition to the deal with Boeing in 2016, which includes the purchase of 30 787 Dreamliners and 10 300ER-777 aircraft worth $7.11bn.
These deals are evidence of the airline's commitment to making every effort to expand its fleet in the coming years.
In December 2017, Qatar Airways reconfirmed the purchase order for 50 Airbus A320neo aircraft by updating the order and replacing it with a confirmed order for 50 A321neo aircraft, which are the largest in the Airbus A320 category.
The new aircraft are expected to join Qatar Airways in 2019 to support the continued growth of Qatar Airways' global destination network, which will benefit from the outstanding capabilities and services offered by the A321neo aircraft.
The total value of the deal is $47.6bn based on the 2018 price list.
While the investment in the development of its fleet is a top priority for Qatar Airways, this year also witnessed a diversification of Qatar Airways' investment portfolio in other airlines.
The most important investment in the fiscal year 2010-2017 was the acquisition of a 94.9% stake in Cathy Pacific and a 49% in AK Holding, the parent company of Meridiana. The investment in Meridiana Airlines has provided the opportunity to develop the existing airline and enhance its operations by launching a new look and modernising and re-launching the service under the name Air Italy as part of an exceptional project that will provide a unique and efficient alternative for travelers from Italy when planning their future trips.
