QATAR Airways has unveiled new livery that will appear on its planes as of this summer and is part of a series of image changes that include new-style onboard services, the first of which were introduced in the premium cabins of long-haul flights last autumn.
The livery and the new first class lounge on the airline’s new A340-600s were unveiled at ITB.
Qatar Airways’ new-look sees the Oryx – the national animal of the state and symbol of the airline – painted in the airline’s burgundy colour right across the tailfin and also appearing on the belly of the plane and the winglets. The upper section of the fuselage is painted light grey – and the bottom half in white. The word Airways has been dropped from the livery and the new planes will only bear the word Qatar in burgundy on both sides of the fuselage and the Arabic Al Qataria in light grey, the other corporate colour.
The new livery will first appear on the airline’s new Airbus A340-600 High Gross Weight (HGW) aircraft, which can fly for 14 hours non-stop with a full load of passengers and cargo. Qatar Airways has ordered 10 A340-600s for deliveries beginning this summer over a two-year period for use on long-haul flights to Europe, the US, the Far East and Australia. The airline plans to make its first foray into the North American market later this year with direct non-stop scheduled flights to the US, and began flights to Hong Kong on March 26.
Onboard lounge
The onboard First Class lounge will allow passengers to relax and eat in the comfort of their very own special area. It also features a stand-up bar with drinks rack and spotlight mood lighting. The leather sofas can seat up to six passengers while lampshades are positioned on two teak wooden tables, and a novel feature is the electronically-operated window shades.
Al Baker calls the changes a “giant step forward” for the airline as it enters the next generation of air travel. Qatar Airways is entering a new era, he says, as a confident and progressive airline which is why it is unveiling a bold new look which projects it as a more powerful brand. “Any livery change will turn heads. We decided to drop the word Airways from Qatar on our aircraft because we are positioning the airline as the national symbol of the State of Qatar which has become an economic force on the global stage.”