Qatar Airways Delays A350-1000 Delivery – QSuite Blamed

a jet plane on a runway

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Qatar Airways is the launch customer for the stretch version of the popular Airbus A350 aircraft and it’s an aircraft a lot of people have been looking forward to seeing in service – me included.

Qatar Airways took ownership of the first commercial Airbus A350-1000 last month but the aircraft is still sitting on the ground at Airbus’ Toulouse HQ. Delivery was expected to take place in December but snags with the installation of Qatar Airways’ new QSuite Business Class product mean that the aircraft isn’t yet ready for service.

Normally when Qatar Airways faces delays with the delivery of its aircraft we can rely on the airline’s CEO, Akbar al-Baker, to embark on an amusing tirade against one of the suppliers (usually Airbus)…but not this time.

a plane flying in the skyImage courtesy of Airbus

Mr al-Baker seems to be taking a pragmatic approach to the latest delay and, in a press conference held in Doha, he confirmed that Airbus had met its obligations and the delivery deadline but that it was the QSuite that was causing the delay.

The Qatar Airways CEO didn’t go into details but he confirmed that it was the “complex seat configuration” that goes hand-in-hand with the impressive QSuites that is causing a delay in the aircraft’s certification.

Where most modern Business Class cabins offer pretty standard seating (as you can see in this image of a Qatar Airways 787 cabin)….

a row of seats in a plane

…the new Airbus A350-1000 has to somehow incorporate the QSuite which is altogether different.

The QSuites positioned next to the aircraft windows aren’t hugely different to what we’ve seen before (although they do have their own doors)….

a table with a tv and a screen on it

….but the centre seats have some very cool party pieces.

Two center suites can be joined together to form a double bed (of sorts)….

a woman reading a book in a bed

…and, if you manage to book a very specific group of 4 center suites, you can convert them into an incredible-looking private cabin.

a family sitting at a table in a plane

That all probably takes quite a bit of configuring.

The QSuites are currently only found on a limited number of Qatar Airways 777-300ER aircraft and, considering the A350-1000 has a cabin that’s approximately 9 inches narrower than the 777, that may be one of the factors causing the headaches (but that’s just me speculating).

Al-Baker has said that the A350-1000 will now be ready for delivery next month….but then he also told us last August that the aircraft would be delivered in 2017 so we’ll just have to wait and see.

(HT: Bloomberg)

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