Qatar Airways Takes Delivery of First Airbus A380

Qatar Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A380.

With a total of ten Airbus A380-800s on order, Qatar Airways is preparing to take delivery of four of them before the end of this year.

The Qatar Airways 517-seat aircraft is spread across twin decks in a tri-class configuration of 8 seats in First Class; 48 seats in Business Class and 461 in Economy Class.

The First Class seats feature a 90-inch pitch with a fully flat bed. Business Class seats feature a pitch of 52 inches which also recline to fully flat beds, while Economy Class seats will have a pitch of 32 inches spread in a 10-seats-across layout.

Inflight entertainment on board uses the Thales mainframe Top Series Avant system with features such as an Android open platform with intuitive swipe functions and customised HD monitor of up to 26 inches in First Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said, “This has been a moment more than a decade in the making and we are so delighted to unveil a new passenger experience for our travellers. The A380 that we are introducing is not just any A380; we have completely designed every element, giving it a signature touch that has never been seen before on board.”

The airline will first introduce A380 services on one of its frequencies on the Doha – London route from October, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle shortly thereafter.