DOHA: Qatar Airways yesterday announced a further boost to its Boeing 777 fleet with a fresh order for six aircraft valued at US$1.7bn.
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.
The agreement was signed by Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker and Boeing Commercial President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Albaugh.
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 fleet size is a mix of 98 Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier aircraft.
Addressing international 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 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.
Subsequently the order was increased to 40 aircraft, of which 15 are pending delivery.
Qatar Airways has launched seven routes this year -- Budapest, Bucharest, Brussels, Stuttgart, Aleppo, Shiraz and Venice -- from Doha.
© The Peninsula 2011
