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Qatar Airways gears for route launches

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QATAR Airways has reached a milestone with the arrival of is 20th Boeing 777-200 long-range aircraft.

The new plane is the seventh long-range Boeing in the airline’s fleet which now includes 11 extended- range (300-ERs), seven long-range (200-LRs) and two freighter versions.

CEO Akbar Al Baker announced the order of two additional long-range Boeings at the recently concluded Farnborough Airshow which will be used to target new ultra long-haul markets. An eighth long-range Boeing was due for delivery in August.

The Boeing 777-200 long range is the longest-range commercial aircraft in the world, with Qatar Airways’ versions currently operating non-stop between Doha and Houston, Melbourne and Sao Paulo, the latter route continuing onto Buenos Aires. The airline has yet to announce to which destination(s) the new aircraft will operate.

“Qatar Airways has a plan to substantially grow its network. In the next three years, the airline will open at least 20 new destinations. With new aircraft deliveries averaging more than one per month, including the 787 Dreamliner from Boeing next year, Qatar Airways is well on track to achieving its goal of 120 destinations by 2013,” said Al Baker.

The carrier is already midway through an expansion drive which includes opening 13 new routes over a 12-month period. Seven new routes have been launched since February 2010.

Six further routes are scheduled to be introduced over a four month period from October 2010, taking the airline’s passenger network to almost 100 destinations. The additions of Phuket (October 12), Hanoi (November 1), Nice (November 24), Bucharest and Budapest (January 17) and Brussels (January 31) will continue the airline’s successful business model of targeting new routes in underserved markets.

By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve 120 key business and leisure destinations worldwide with a modern fleet of 120 aircraft. Today, the airline’s fleet stands at 86 aircraft, flying to 92 destinations across six continents.

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