Qatar Airways signed Tuesday an agreement with European planemaker Airbus Industrie to buy two double-decker superjumbo Airbus 380 aircraft, along with two options, and a batch of up to eight A330-200 planes, Gulf Times reported Wednesday.
Qatar’s foreign minister, chairman of Qatar Airways Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, said in a statement, that "the new A330 and A380, with their unsurpassed cabin comfort, economy and reliability, will help us to remain a leader in this field.”
The superjumbo A380 has a capacity of 540 passengers and will be operated in the long-haul routes, the daiy said, quoting Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker as saying that the A380s will be delivered in 2007 and 2008, noting that the delivery of the A330 series will begin next year and be completed before 2004.
Qatar Airways, founded in 1995, is 50 percent owned by the government. The rest is held by private Qatari investors and Qatar Insurance Company – Albawaba.com
