Qatar Airways takes Delivery of First Boeing 777-200LR

Qatar Airways has achieved yet another milestone in its short history by taking delivery of its first Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft.

The aircraft – Qatar Airways’ sixth Boeing 777 – made its maiden journey from Boeing’s manufacturing base in Seattle in just under 15 hours for the non-stop flight to Doha International Airport. The latest delivery takes Qatar Airways’ fleet size to 66 aircraft, a remarkable number in only the airline’s 12th year of operations.

Captain Qush was joined on the flight by fellow Captain, Hameed Al Alawi from Bahrain and First Officers Anthony Pantin, who hails from Trinidad and Tobago, and Dutch national Jan Jonkman.

American cabin crew Natasha Betita, Australian national Fawaz Melder and test engineer Raed Ayoub, from Jordan, made up the international crew for the special flight, which also included several operational staff onboard for the journey which took 14 hours and 45 minutes.

The Boeing 777-200LR has a range of up to 17 hours and is capable of flying to virtually any key business or leisure destination worldwide from Qatar Airways’ Doha hub non-stop. The Doha – Houston route, linking the energy capitals of the world, will be Qatar Airways’ first long-haul service to be operated with the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft with its launch scheduled for March 30.

The Houston route will also be one of the world’s longest non-stop flights. Until the Houston launch, the aircraft will be deployed on routes in the Middle East and South Asia to allow crew to get more accustomed to the aircraft.

In November 2007, Qatar Airways placed orders for 32 Boeing 777 passenger and cargo aircraft, comprising 14 of the 777-300ER variant, six 777-200LRs and seven 777-200 Freighters. There are options for a further five Boeing 777s.

With six Boeing 777s currently flying in Qatar Airways’ colours, the remaining 26 will be delivered within two years and the aircraft will form the backbone of the airline’s long-haul fleet of the future. The two Boeing 777 passenger variants will facilitate a major expansion in the airline’s long haul network.

The Boeing 777-200LR features 259 seats – 42 in Business Class and 217 in Economy.

Business Class passengers are able to enjoy comfortable and spacious seats offering a pitch of up to 78 inches with each seat converting into 180-degree fully flat beds. With a 2–2–2 seating configuration, Business Class passengers are assured of either a window or aisle seat.

In Economy Class, seat pitch is up to 34 inches, while the 217 seats are in a 3–3–3 configuration.

Both Business and Economy class cabins offer in-seat PC power supply.

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