Qatar Airways confirms Dreamliner debut in India

by Vinay Bhaskara

Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner – Image Credit: Qatar Airways



MEB3 carrier Qatar Airways has provided confirmation of the plans to bring its Boeing 787 Dreamliner to India via the Doha-Delhi and Doha-Bangalore sectors from September 1st. Bangalore Aviation had previously reported on the new aircraft placement via a report from Airline Route.

Qatar Airways Dreamliners are configured with 254 seats with 22 flatbed business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 232 economy class seats in a tight 9-abreast 3-3-3 configuration. Both routes are served daily as red-eyes. Qatar Airways becomes the second carrier from the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) to operate the 787 to India after Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines.

Qatar Airways’ introduction of the Dreamliner is a smart strategic move in advance of the massive expansion of fellow MEB3 carrier Etihad’s Indian operation via the yet to be approved Jetihad partnership.

Find more details in the press release below.

19th August 2013

QATAR AIRWAYS’ DREAMLINER DEBUTS IN INDIA

Airline Introduces the 787 Dreamliner service on Delhi and Bangalore routes

19th August 2013

Mumbai, INDIA – Qatar Airways has announced plans to extend its Boeing 787 Dreamliner route network to India with the launch of services to and from Delhi and Bangalore starting September 01, 2013. The introduction of the state-of-the-art Dreamliner service promises the airlines’ passengers with an unparalleled level of service, comfort and travel experience.

Commenting on the occasion, Henry Moses, Qatar Airways Country Manager, India, said “In line with our commitment to offer our passengers the most exceptional travel experience, we are delighted to introduce Qatar Airways’ Dreamliner on two of our important Indian routes. The introduction of our Dreamliner service provides our passengers with an unbeatable level of service and comfort besides reiterating our firm belief in the 787s unrivalled capabilities and the value it will add to Qatar Airways’ plans to continue delivering on its promise of quality.”

“Our 787s provide a game-changing experience with specially designed interiors, spacious cabins and custom-made seats in both Business and Economy Class. We are confident that our patrons flying to and from Delhi and Bangalore routes will luxuriate in the enhanced travel experience on-board the Qatar Airways’ Dreamliner,” Moses added.

Qatar Airways has 254 custom-made seats across its 787 Business and Economy Class cabins with specially designed interiors. Business Class is configured 1–2–1 with 22 seats, while Economy has a 232 seating capacity in a 3–3–3 layout. All seats in Business Class are fully reclinable.

The airline’s 787s are the world’s first fully connected Dreamliners with wireless facilities for passengers to remain in touch with friends and colleagues on the ground through the internet and SMS mobile texting across both Business and Economy cabins. The 787 Dreamliners complement the ultra-luxurious customer service and experience Qatar Airways promises to its passengers.

India remains to be a key market for Qatar Airways having an extensive route network offering 95 passenger flights non-stop each week from 12 gateway cities to Doha. Currently, Indian operations cover daily services to Doha from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore, together with 11-flights-a-week from Cochin and double daily flights from Delhi.

Flights from India connect via Doha to popular cities in Qatar Airways’ global network including London, New York, Montreal, Washington, Dubai, Nairobi, Paris, Frankfurt and Oslo.

Qatar Airways, the national airline of the State of Qatar has taken delivery of eight of its 60 Dreamliners and has been flying the aircraft from Doha to Dubai, London, Munich, Stockholm, Riyadh, Jeddah, Zurich and Frankfurt. The airline will also be flying the Dreamliner to Oslo and Copenhagen from September.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 129 aircraft to 128 key business and leisure destinations worldwide.

Qatar Airways has so far launched six destinations this year – Gassim (Saudi Arabia), Najaf (Iraq), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Chicago (USA), Salalah (Oman) and Basra (Iraq).  Over the next few weeks and months, the network will grow further with Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (August 20), Chengdu, China (September 3) and the newly-announced routes of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (September 18), Clark International Airport, Philippines (October 28) and Philadelphia, USA (2 April 2014).

QATAR AIRWAYS’ BOEING 787 INDIAN ROUTES SCHEDULES

Delhi

DOHA – DELHI (Daily)
Depart Doha on QR232 at 2100hrs, arrive in Delhi at 0325hrs (next day)

DELHI – DOHA (Daily)
Depart Delhi on QR233 at 0450hrs, arrive in Doha at 0630hrs

Bangalore

DOHA – BANGALORE (Daily)
Depart Doha on QR226 at 2020hrs, arrive in Bangalore at 0310hrs (next day)

BANGALORE – DOHA (Daily)
Depart Bangalore on QR227 at 0440hrs, arrive in Doha at 0625hrs

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