Qatar Airways has said it plans to take delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350 between December 8 and 10, but given no hint of which route it will enter service on.
The first A350 to be ordered by the airline has just completed its maiden flight at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, prompting the carrier to confirm its delivery date. The Extra Wide Body twin jet, which competes against Boeing’s 787, had been pencilled in for the Doha – New York service. This has not been confirmed, but may still be likely as Qatar Airways chose to debut its Airbus A380 on the London run.
A spokesman for the airline in London said the delivery was “expected on schedule”. It is thought that full details of where the aircraft will be deployed will be made in the next four weeks.
Qatar Airways has 43 of the Airbus A350-900 on order and 37 of the larger A350-1000.
Gary Noakes
