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Qatar Airways brings Airbus A380s back into service
A Qatar Airways Airbus A380 took to the skies for the first time in more than 18 months last week, after the airline reluctantly took the decision to welcome the fleet back into operation due to capacity shortage.
It expects at least five of the airline’s 10 A380 aircraft will be brought back into service on a temporary basis over the coming weeks to support fleet capacity on key winter routes, including London Heathrow and Paris from 15 December 2021.
The airline is currently facing limitations to its fleet capacity as a result of the recent grounding of 19 of its Airbus A350 fleet due to fuselage issues as mandated by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA).
The airline also recently re-introduced a number of its A330 fleet following a continued increase in capacity requirements due to the easing of travel restrictions and the upcoming peak winter holiday period.
Qatar Airways Group Chief ExecutiveAkbar Al Baker, said: “The recent grounding of 19 Qatar Airways A350 fleet has left us with no alternative but to temporarily bring some of our A380 fleet back on key winter routes.
“These groundings are due to an ongoing issue relating to the accelerated degradation of the fuselage surface, which as yet remains an unresolved matter between Qatar Airways and the manufacturer.”
“This difficult decision reflects the gravity of the A350 issue and is intended to be a short-term measure to assist us in balancing our commercial needs.”
“One of Qatar Airways’ greatest assets is our highly flexible fleet of diverse aircraft. This means we are not dependent on a specific aircraft type.”
The carrier continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations and more frequencies are being added to key hubs.
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TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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