It will cost airline nearly $1.7bn
Qatar Airways announced a further boost to its Boeing 777 fleet with a fresh order for six aircraft valued at $1.7 billion at list prices.
The announcement was made at a press conference on the opening day of the Paris Air Show being held at Le Bourget near the French capital.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker and Boeing Commercial President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Albaugh signed the agreement.
Qatar Airways' Boeing fleet stands at 25 aircraft - 15 of the 777-300ERs, eight Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft and two 777 freighters. The airline's current total fleet size is a mix of 98 Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier aircraft.
Addressing the media, Al Baker said: "The Boeing 777 has become the flagship long-haul aircraft in our fleet and, since we started taking delivery of this aircraft in 2007, we have been able to open up exciting new diverse routes around the world.
"With its payload and range capability, reliability and economics, the Boeing 777 has met our high expectations, operating to cities in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific non-stop from our hub city of Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar.
"With an already strong international network of over 100 destinations, we continuously look at new opportunities, expanding our global international reach by introducing more non-stop routes and increasing frequency on existing services. The Boeing 777 continues to play a key role in our route expansion decision-making process."
In November 2007, Qatar Airways took delivery of its first Boeing 777 - part of an order for 32 passenger and cargo triple sevens. Exercise options subsequently increased the order to 40 aircraft, of which 15 are pending delivery.
So far this year, Qatar Airways has launched seven routes - Budapest, Bucharest, Brussels, Stuttgart, Aleppo, Shiraz and Venice - from Doha.
Over the next few months, the airline will launch flights to Medina, Montreal, Kolkata, Sofia, Oslo, Entebbe, Baku and Tbilisi.
© Emirates 24|7 2011
