QATAR GROWS WITH AIRBUS A330S

23 July 2002

Qatar Airways has begun modernising and expanding its fleet with Airbus A330-200s, allowing it to grow on existing routes and add new destinations.

It has just begun A330 services with its first aircraft, while a second, currently on display at the Farnborough airshow, will be added in the coming days.

Qatar's A330-200s feature a spacious four-abreast first class, as well as business and economy, seating a total of 238 passengers. Its aircraft are powered by General Electric CF6-80E1 engines.

''With the introduction of the Airbus A330 as the new flagship of our fleet, we are beginning a new era of growth, adding new destinations as well as more capacity on existing services,'' says Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al-Baker. ''We want the best for our passengers, as well as for our bottom line, and the A330 excels at both.''

Qatar Airways flies an all-Airbus fleet, comprising seven A320s, seven A300-600s, an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and its A330. Its route network stretches from Doha to Europe in the west and to Asia in the east.

Qatar Airways is acquiring a total of eight A330-200s, and has also announced plans to acquire two of the world's largest aircraft, the A380 superjumbo, on which it also has two options. It also operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft on behalf of the Qatar Amiri flight, including an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ).

''Qatar Airways is one of the world's fastest growing airlines, averaging an increase of almost 30 per cent a year, and we are naturally delighted that Airbus aircraft are playing a part in its expansion,'' says Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.