Qatar Airways to launch non-stop service to Houston on March 30, expand fleet

Qatar Airways, the flag-carrier airline of Qatar, has said it plans to launch new routes, extend existing services and add 11 aircraft to its fleet in 2009. The Doha-based carrier’s announcement comes even as airlines worldwide are struggling to survive amid economic recession. 

Qatar Airways would launch non-stop services to Houston, Texas, the United States, on March 30, 2009, using Boeing 777 aircraft, Ali Al Rais, executive vice-president (commercial) of the airline, said in a statement.  

The 16-hour flight to Houston would be Qatar Airways’ third destination in the United States, after New York and Washington.  

The carrier, the statement added, expected Boeing Company and Airbus to deliver one aircraft a month throughout 2009 starting from February. 

Other plans of Qatar Airways include investing $500 million in Doha International Airport and developing a second hub New Doha International Airport in the next two years.  

Ali Al Rais told reporters that the airline was confident of generating 30%-35% despite aircraft delays and the financial crisis and that the airline expected to break even and receive its 5 Airbus A380 Superjumbo jets by 2011.  

“We have not been,” Ali Al Rais said, “affected by the global economic downturn. Our revenues have been very good and 2008 has been one of the best years we have had. We have not seen a drop in forward bookings, but obviously there are drops in Europe.”  

He declared that Qatar Airways would consider launching a low-cost carrier if that would support the current operation. However, he stressed that there were no immediate plans to start a low-cost carrier.  

Al Rais dismissed media reports which said Qatar Airways might try to take over the Greek carrier Olympic Airlines and emphasised that his carrier “has no interest in owning or developing an airline other than Qatar Airways.” 

The state-owned carrier, Al Rais added, was holding talks with the Unite States-based Boeing Company to revise delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet and was seeking compensation after Boeing’s latest delay affected the airline’s expansion. 

Qatar Airways, which has a fleet of over 60 aircraft, has been expanding rapidly. It has about 200 planes on order, including 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets. 

Boeing Company had delayed the schedule for its 787 Dreamliner planes for the fourth time in December 2008 – thus making its new plane almost two years late. 

Ali Al Rais explained: “We have not banked totally on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets and do have an agreement with Airbus. We will not hassle our supplier; there is compensation and we are discussing the schedule.”  

He, however, did not reveal how much Qatar Airways would get from Boeing Company by way of compensation.