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Guessing game
01 September 2006
No one is entirely sure what is happening at Qatar Airways. Alex Lennane speaks to the airline to demystify some of the intrigue.
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Qatar Airways is playing its cards close to its chest. Not even Boeing, which was promised a $4.6 billion order for 20 777s in 2005, knows its fleet plans. Also delayed is an order for 60 A350s, said to be worth $10.6 billion. Whether this is a measure intended to extract the best deal from the manufacturers, or a delay in fleet expansion, is unclear. Qatar has, however, confirmed that it is still interested in the aircraft.
"Qatar Airways announced plans to boost its fleet size from 48 to 110 aircraft by 2015," says Updesh Kapur, director of communications. "We have shown interest in both the Airbus A350s and long-range Boeing 777s. No firm orders have yet been signed for both types of aircraft."
The new-generation A350s are planned for short-haul and long-range services to Asia, Europe and North America from Qatar Airways' operational hub of Doha.
Qatar...
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