February 21: Qatar Airways on Tuesday (February 20) received the delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350-1000 at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse, France. The airline claimed that the Airbus is the first aircraft to be fitted with Qatar Airways’ revolutionary Qsuite Business Class seat.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker hosted a press conference in Toulouse to mark the delivery of the spectacular state-of-the-art aircraft to Qatar Airways.

Issuing a statement, Qatar Airways said that the A350-1000 is the latest member of the Airbus wide-body aircraft portfolio. As the global launch customer, Qatar Airways will be the first airline to fly the A350-1000, which will go into service on the Doha-London route this month. Qatar Airways operates six daily flights between Doha and London’s Heathrow Airport. The airline was also the global launch customer for the A350-900 in 2014, and now operates 21 in its fleet.

“Compared to the A350-900, the A350-1000 features 44 extra seats, with a two-class cabin of 46 award-winning Qsuite Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80-inch fully flat beds and 22-inch HD in-flight entertainment screens. This includes 46 suites, with the middle suites able to convert to six double beds, and six quad suites,” reads the statement.

 Economy Class has 281 seats, each 18-inches wide in a 3-3-3 configuration, with up to a 32-inch pitch, according to the airline company. Each individual seat has an 11.6-inch in-flight entertainment screen, and extra space at shoulder level for passengers in window seats. According to the company, it offers enhanced levels of passenger comfort, thanks to the lowest twin-engine noise level of any aircraft, advanced air conditioning technology and full LED mood lighting.

Two state-of-the-art higher thrust Rolls Royce Trent XWB-97 engines power Qatar Airways A350-1000, offering lower approach speeds. They were developed by Rolls Royce’ engineers with new technology in the engine’s core to provide a higher take-off thrust capability of 97,000lbs per engine, without compromising operating costs. As the world’s most efficient large aero engine, they save around $2.9 million per aircraft per year on fuel.

Qatar’s Minister of Finance and Chairman of Qatar Airways Group Ali Shareef Al Emadi, said, “This is a very proud day for the State of Qatar, as Qatar Airways becomes the global launch customer for the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. The Airbus A350-1000 will be a wonderful addition to our national carrier’s fleet, allowing Qatar Airways to continue to set the highest standards of excellence and quality in the industry. Today’s delivery is a testament to Qatar Airways’ commitment to continued expansion."

Qatar Airways said it operates a wide range of 118 Airbus passenger and cargo aircraft in its fleet of more than 200 aircraft. This includes nine Airbus A380s, 21 A350-900s, four A340-600s, 13 A330-300s, 13 A330-200s, seven A321-200s, 39 A320s and two A319LRs.