Qatar Airways Takes Delivery of First Airbus A380

The A380 seats 517 passengers on twin decks and is configured to accommodate eight first-class passengers, 48 business-class passengers and 461 economy-class travelers.

The A380 will join 43 A320-family jets and 33 A330/340 family jets in Qatar’s commercial fleet. The airlines also flies 35 of Boeing Co.’s (NYSE: BA) 777-200/300 jets and 14 787-8 Dreamliners. The airline’s website indicates that it has unfilled orders for one additional A320, 80 of the new A320neo jets, 80 of the A350 planes and 13 A380s (which includes the options).

In an interview last March in Paris, the airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker said that Qatar Airways will not use the A380 on “ultra-long haul” flights because the plane is very expensive to operate on that type of flight. Also in March the airline was expecting to receive its first three A380s in June and to begin service to London.

Qatar Airways is Airbus’s world launch customer for the A350 XWB, which is expected to be delivered before the end of this year. The airline also has orders on Boeing for 100 of the 777X and 46 more of the company’s 787-8 Dreamliners.

ALSO READ: European Passengers Want Cheap Fares and Legroom