Qatar Airways : QR : QTR

Un rappel au sujet d'un article paru sur Aerocontact du 24 juin 09


" Akbar Al Baker, P-DG de la compagnie Qatar Airways, vient d’annoncer que Qatar Airways commencerait à opérer sur l’Australie avant les fêtes de fin d’année avec un vol inaugural sur Melbourne prévu le 6 décembre 2009.

Qatar Airways reliera Melbourne à son hub de Doha trois fois par semaine en B777-200LR flambant neuf dont la compagnie prendra livraison cette année. Cette liaison deviendra quotidienne au début de l’année prochaine suite à la livraison d’un autre B777-200 Long Range, le quatrième que livrera Boeing à la compagnie qatari.

M. Al Baker a expliqué que la compagnie attendait ces appareils pour commencer à opérer la première de ses deux liaisons aériennes à destination de l’Australie.

« Je sais que les voyageurs attendent avec impatience que nous commencions à voler sur Melbourne et Sydney. Nous sommes encore en train de régler quelques détails avec les autorités australiennes compétentes. Une fois que nous aurons reçu le B777 prévu sur cette route, nous serons prêts à débuter nos opérations. »

Selon M. Al Baker : « Bien que les opérations n’aient pas encore débuté, Qatar Airways compte déjà plus de 4.000 membres australiens à son programme de fidélisation, le Privilege Club. L’économie australienne a été l’une des seules au monde à enregistrer une croissance au 1er trimestre 2009 ce qui montre à quel point ce marché est dynamique, avec une réelle demande de services. »

Cette nouvelle liaison permettra aux passagers basés en Europe de rejoindre l’Australie avec une seule escale à Doha, et un temps de correspondance d’une heure. A partir du hub de Qatar Airways à Doha, tous les passagers peuvent facilement accéder à un grand nombre de destinations, que ce soit en Asie, au Moyen-Orient, en Inde ou en Afrique du nord.

Brett McDougall, Responsable des opérations de Qatar Airways pour l’Australie, a déclaré que le marché australien était porteur, avec un potentiel de voyageurs très cosmopolite.

Selon M. McDougall : « Le grand public est impatient de voir arriver une compagnie cinq étoiles de l’envergure de Qatar Airways sur le marché australien. Jusqu’à présent nos clients devaient aller jusqu’en Asie pour accéder à nos services. Nous sommes donc très attendus sur ce marché et je suis persuadé que Qatar Airways va satisfaire et même dépasser ces attentes ».

Paul Johannes, Senior Manager Europe de Qatar Airways, a souligné que la perspective de pouvoir rejoindre l’Australie à partir de Doha était une bonne nouvelle pour les passagers européens.

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Le B777-200 opéré sur ce trajet sera configuré en bi-classe avec 259 sièges, dont 42 en classe Affaires dans lesquels les passagers pourront profiter d’un maximum de confort et de services. Configurés en 2-2-2 en classe Affaires, les sièges sont inclinables à 180° avec des rangées espacées de près de 2 mètres.

En classe Economique, la largeur des sièges est supérieure à la moyenne des autres compagnies et atteint près de 86 cm, offrant ainsi plus d’espace pour les jambes. Les sièges sont configurés en 3-3-3 et équipés d’un système de Vidéo et de Musique à la demande.

En 2007, Qatar Airways a commandé 14 B777-300ER, six B777-200 Long Range et sept B777-200 tout cargo. Les livraisons de tous ces appareils doivent s’échelonner jusqu’à mi-2010. La compagnie a pris des options sur cinq B777 supplémentaires. Quatre appareils long courrier B777 seront opérés sur les vols de Qatar Airways entre Doha et Melbourne / Sydney.

A propos de Qatar Airways :

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Qatar Airways opèrera une flotte de 110 appareils en 2013, soit près du double de sa flotte actuelle. Qatar Airways a commandé 80 Airbus A350, 60 Boeing B787 et 32 Boeing B777. Les livraisons de ces derniers appareils ont débuté en Novembre 2007. La compagnie est l’un des clients de l’Airbus A380 ‘super jumbo’ avec 5 commandes fermes prévues pour livraison à partir de 2012, lorsque le nouvel Aéroport International de Doha sera déjà opérationnel.


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A noter qu'à la fin de l'année, il est indiqué que les A 340-600 seraient retirés du service ( avis perso : dommage )

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Réunion prochaine entre Boeing et Qatar Airways pour résoudre l'épinuex problème du planning de livraison.

"The meeting is at their request because they are now concerned which way Qatar Airways will go," Al Baker says. "They are taking a very proactive stand with Qatar Airways."

Al Baker says "there are a few issues we will discuss with them" including the latest delays in the 787 test programme and the possibility of assuming earlier delivery slots. He says Qatar's first 787 is now scheduled to be roughly the 50th production aircraft to roll off the assembly line, but there should be an opportunity to move up as airlines ahead of Qatar have requested deferrals.

Qatar's first 787 was originally scheduled for delivery in mid 2010, but programme delays have pushed back all deliveries by at least two years. Al Baker is now asking for slots in 2011 and says if Boeing can only offer 2012 deliveries it may cancel its entire order.

"If it slips into 2012 for delivery then we'll have to consider cancelling our order," he says. "We'll have to consider [cancelling] because if there is another big slippage the deliveries will be at the same we are receiving this large order of A350s and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] mission will be very close to the 787. If there's a huge overlap then why am I buying two types of airplanes that are doing the same mission?"

Qatar has 100 A350s on order. Its 787 order is for 30 firm aircraft plus 30 options.

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Pour les B777-200LR, sur Doha - Sydney / Melbourne, ......Qatar aura toujours ses A340-600HGW en "back-up", s'il y a trop d'incidents-moteurs avec les GE90-110B ! ;)

Le CEO de Qatar rencontre Boeing le 25 juillet.

Au dernier salon du Bourget, il avait déclaré une possble annulation des 30 x 787 si Qatar n'avait pas de réponses satisfaisantes quant aux nouveaux délais. La menace plane toujours si le glissement vers 2012 et au delà se confirme.
Quelques options possible y compris obtenir des creneaux rapprochés (modifiés) sur d'autre ckients, replacer les appareils. Le timing du concurrent A 350 est un argument

Sur Flight :

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] CEO Akbar Al Baker is meeting with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] officials tomorrow to discuss the latest delays to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] programme, and possible changes to the carrier's 787 delivery schedule that could result in deliveries from 2011.

Speaking to reporters at last month's Paris Air Show Baker warned the carrier may cancel its 30-aircraft 787 order if the airframer does not quickly resolve delay issues. At a media briefing in Washington DC today, Al Baker says Boeing has responded to this warning by scheduling a meeting with the carrier.

"The meeting is at their request because they are now concerned which way Qatar Airways will go," Al Baker says. "They are taking a very proactive stand with Qatar Airways."

Al Baker says "there are a few issues we will discuss with them" including the latest delays in the 787 test programme and the possibility of assuming earlier delivery slots. He says Qatar's first 787 is now scheduled to be roughly the 50th production aircraft to roll off the assembly line, but there should be an opportunity to move up as airlines ahead of Qatar have requested deferrals.

Qatar's first 787 was originally scheduled for delivery in mid 2010, but programme delays have pushed back all
deliveries by at least two years. Al Baker is now asking for slots in 2011 and says if Boeing can only offer 2012 deliveries it may cancel its entire order.

"If it slips into 2012 for delivery then we'll have to consider cancelling our order," he says. "We'll have to consider [cancelling] because if there is another big slippage the deliveries will be at the same we are receiving this large order of A350s and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] mission will be very close to the 787. If there's a huge overlap then why am I buying two types of airplanes that are doing the same mission?"

Qatar has 100 A350s on order. Its 787 order is for 30 firm aircraft plus 30 options.

The carrier had been planning to use the 787 to replace its A330s on medium-haul routes and open new long-haul markets. Al Baker says the A350 will be used for similar routes but Qatar decided initially to also acquire 787s because it needed additional capacity earlier.

"We'll start getting the A350 during the last quarter of 2013 if they are on time," he says. "I think there could be a six month slippage maximum, but at the same time I feel more confident [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] will deliver on time due to the fact they're learning huge lessons from the mistake Boeing has made."

Al Baker believes 2011 deliveries for the 787 are still feasible despite the latest delays in the aircraft's first flight. He explains while aircraft number 50 may now not be delivered until after 2011 Qatar should be able to move up to a 2011 slot because airlines which are now ahead of it no longer want their 787s until after 2011. "The people that are committed to the airplanes before us are not taking those airplanes," he explains.

He adds Qatar should be in position to receive these slots because "others that have ordered after us don't have the right" to move up and take these slots.

Al Baker says Qatar will not accept any early production aircraft because these will be heavier and will have performance limitations. But he believes Qatar can move up to 2011 slots without having to take any of these early aircraft.

He says last month Qatar was "about to send [Boeing] a letter of termination" but Boeing's response since his comments at Paris gives him hope the manufacturer may be able to provide the delivery slots and "other technical requirements" Qatar seeks.

"They knew that when Qatar Airways says something it's not just talk but we will follow it up with our decision," he says.

He would not specify what new technical requirements Qatar wants Boeing to meet, explaining they are confidential and customer specific. But he says they do not involve performance guarantees because these are already specified in the original contract. "We have very water tight performance guarantees they will have to meet or else they will have to keep on giving us cash," Al Baker warns.

He says if Qatar fails to provide the delivery slots and technical requirements it seeks the Qatar government's new aircraft leasing company could take over the order and remarket the 30 787s to other airlines. "Or we'll just cancel it to send a message to Boeing that they shouldn't mess around with customers," Al Baker quickly adds.

The Qatar Airways chief believes Boeing knew about the delays at Paris although it did not announce them until the following week. Al Baker also criticises Boeing for not taking steps earlier to mitigate the delays.

"Boeing has lost leadership. The mess of this programme should have been corrected a long time ago," he claims, adding Qatar had a better relationship with Boeing when Alan Mulally was still CEO.

"I'm having a meeting with Boeing here [Washington, DC] tomorrow. They will have to brief me exactly where this programme is," Al Baker adds.

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Le ton monte ! Intéressant !

Merci, Jeannot & Fresco, pour ces posts.

Voici un article de ATWOnline, sous le lien :
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Qatar's Al Baker says 'heads would roll' if he were Boeing CEO
Monday July 27, 2009

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker ratcheted up his rhetoric about Boeing Friday, telling reporters ahead of a meeting with the manufacturer regarding the airline's delayed 787 program that "a lot of heads would roll" if he were running the company, according to USA Today.

Akbar Al BAKER aime provoquer, ... surtout quand il pense sérieusement (et à juste titre, aux yeux de beaucoup d'observateurs), .. qu'il a été insuffisamment entendu & écouté ! Ce qu'il dit est sérieux ! Ce n'est pas simplement un coup de gueule !
Mais il ne fait pas dans la nuance ! Il n'est pas forcément raisonnable de faire un reproche visant directement Jim McNERNEY, qui a hérité d'une décision, et d'un "ensemble de sous-decisions" explicites ou implicites, ... transparentes .... ou imprévisibles dans leurs conséquences, dont il a été quasiment impossible pour lui d'en saisir l'ampleur, .... n'y ayant pas participé lui-même !
La proportion de la gestion des affaires de Boeing, liée au 'management des attentes des autres' / "managing the expectations of others", ... est devenue trop lourde ! On ne peut pas renvoyer des Dirigeants simplement parce qu'un client a été déçu, ... ou s'est senti "offensé" ! Cela devient une affaire culturelle ! Certes, tous les dirigeants de Boeing auraient dû faire un plus grand effort pour "voir avec les lunettes de l'autre" !

Akbar Al Baker last month indicated that QR is strongly considering canceling its order for 30 Dreamliners plus 30 options [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. That threat was made prior to Boeing's indefinite postponement of the 787's first flight [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. He told reporters in Washington Friday that the manufacturer requested a meeting with him and that he expected to be updated on the 787's latest delay over the weekend.

"Fair enough" ! Là, ... Qatar a ses raisons objectives, ... qui sont évidentes !

"The meeting is at their request because they are now concerned which way Qatar Airways will go," he said, adding that Boeing has "lost its leadership. . .The mess with this program could have been corrected a long time ago. If they had correctly focused management, they could have seen this coming."
by ATWOnline Staff

Cela n'est pas faux ! Mais qu'on ne jette pas la pierre contre P. SHANAHAN et son équipe ! Pour eux, ... les dés étaient déjà pipés !

Boeing aurait réussi à sauver le deal avec Qatar Airways

During the Paris air showin June chief executive Akbar Al Baker warned Boeing that he would cancel the order if undisclosed "issues" were not quickly resolved. The airline had been seeking earlier deliveries - beginning in late 2011 - by taking over slots vacated by customers who had either deferred or cancelled orders.

Speaking in Washington DC in late July, Al Baker said that "a letter of termination" was averted when Boeing responded to his Paris warning by "taking a very proactive stand" and arranging the Washington meeting. Al Baker had told Boeing that if it could only offer 2012 deliveries it might cancel its entire order.

However, industry sources say that progress was made during the meeting, with the airframer agreeing in principle to Qatar Airways terms, which should ensure that the order is retained. The airline has made it clear to Boeing that even though it wants earlier slots, it will not accept the early production aircraft as they are heavier and will have performance limitations.

Al Baker wants to ensure that his 787 delivery schedule begins before 2012 to avoid the risk of a clash with the arrival of its first of 80 Airbus A350XWB "if there is another big slippage". He adds: "If there's a huge overlap, then why am I buying two types of aircraft that are doing the same mission?"

Qatar Airways is launch customer for the A350, and is due to begin receiving its first twinjets during the last quarter of 2013 "if they are on time", says Al Baker. He adds that he suspects A350 deliveries could suffer a slippage of up to six months but feels "more confident Airbus will deliver on time as they're learning huge lessons from Boeing's mistakes".

Pour moi je retiens :

• Début des livraisons avant 2012 donc en 2011
  
• Pas de livraison des premiers avions "handicapés" par le poids
  
• Suscpecte que Airbus aura 6 mois de retard sur le 350
  
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Merci Jeannot
C'est bien cela, autant gagner de nouvelles commandes : mais surtout obtenir confirmation ( ou éviter des annulations ) des commandes en cour ! 8)

Compte tenu des problèmes actuels du 787 j'avais donné le planning actuel de livraison suivant :
pour 2010 3 au lieu de 15
pour 2011 25 au lieu de 35
pour 2012 50 au lieu de 60

Soit un total de 28 pour 2010 et 2011. Si Qatar Airways veut des livraisons avant 2012 ry des livraisons qui ne soient pas des avions "lourds", cela ne laisse pas beaucoup de marge.

Just a though!!!!

Voici le détail du compromis :
. 4 premiers en 2011 et
. la totalité des 30 commandes livréee en 2015.
. la possibilité de lever plus rapidement des options si des slots se libèrent avant.

et en prime "la petite gentillesse" d'usage.

Qatar Airways expects to receive its first four Boeing 787 Dreamliners by the end of 2011 and its entire order of 30 planes by 2015, CEO Akbar Al Baker said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a media lunch in New York, Al Baker said he received the outlook from Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Scott Carson in June, shortly after the world's largest air show in Paris.
A Boeing spokesman said the company does not comment on talks with customers.
Al Baker said he was told Qatar would get all 30 of its firm orders delivered by 2015 and that if other customers cancel their 787 orders then Qatar's options for 30 more aircraft could be filled quicker.
He said he believes the first test flight of the carbon-composite aircraft will occur by the end of 2009.
"I quite frankly have faith now in Boeing in the sense of delivery because regardless of (what) the certification outcome will be, by the time they have to deliver my airplanes, I'm sure they will catch up with the backlog," Al Baker said.
"And if they cannot sort it out at this time then Boeing has forgotten how to make airplanes."

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La flotte de Qtar Airways telle que sur Planespotters, merci

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C'est sans doute le début d'une noiuvelle guerre du golfe.

La jeune compagnie flydubai a annoncé le 5 octobre qu’elle desservirait la capitale du Qatar à partir du 18 octobre, lançant ainsi la première liaison à bas tarifs à l’intérieur du GCC et envoyant ainsi directement un pavé dans la mare de Qatar Airways.

Le vol, opéré en Boeing 737-800 de 189 places, sera assuré deux fois par jour avec un prix d’appel de l’ordre de 37 euros pour un aller simple, toutes taxes comprises.

Akbar Al Baker, le PDG de Qatar Airways a maintes fois averti que si une compagnie aérienne à bas tarifs attaquait directement sa compagnie, il serait contraint de lancer un nouveau modèle économique concurrent afin de protéger ses intérêts.

Qatar Airways dessert aujourd’hui Dubaï 8 fois par jour avec un florilège de gros-porteurs et de monocouloirs Airbus.

Akbar Al Baker avait précisé lors du dernier salon du Bourget qu’un plan de lancement était prévu en moins de 90 jours avec l’utilisation probable de certains des Airbus A321 de la compagnie qatarie.

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Nils a écrit:La flotte de Qatar Airways telle que sur Planespotters, merci

Les motorisations par types :

Airbus A 319-133X : IAE V2527-A5

Airbus A 320-232 : IAE V2527-A5

Airbus A 321-231 : V2530-A5

Airbus A 330-202 : GE CF6-80E1A4

Airbus A 330-302 : CF6-80E1A4B

Airbus A300B4-622R(F) : PW4158

Airbus A 340-313X : CFMI CFM56-5C4P

Airbus A 340-642X : Rolls Royce Trent 556A2-61

Airbus A 380-861 : EA GP7270

Boeing 777-3DZ(ER) : GE GE90-115B

Qatar Airways effectue une première mondiale en faisant le premier vol avec un carburant contenant 50 % de gaz liquéfié.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has achieved a world first today by operating an [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on a revenue flight powered by gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene.
The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-600 took off today on the synthetic fuel demonstration flight from London Gatwick, operating the airline's regular QR076 service to Doha with a full load of passengers.
The A340 substituted for the regular [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on the 6h flight, with all four of its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engines to be powered by a 50/50 blend of GTL and Jet A1 kerosene. On board the milestone flight was Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker and a small group of media that included Flightglobal. The remainder of the aircraft was occupied by fare-paying passengers who had been advised in advance about the nature of the flight.
The demonstration follows a two-year intensive study into synthetic fuel technology, which was announced at the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in November 2007 by a team comprising Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Shell, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], R-R, Qatar Science & Technology Park and Woqod (Qatar Fuel Company).
The Gatwick-Doha flight is the second demonstration of the synthetic fuel. Last year Airbus operated an [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on a 3h flight between Bristol and Toulouse with one of its four Trent engines fuelled by a 40% blend of GTL kerosene provided by Shell.
Training and research has been undertaken within the Qatar Science and Technology Park. The country is set to be the market leader in the production of GTL, with Qatar Petroleum and Shell having created a multi-billion dollar integrated GTL "Pearl" plant. When this comes fully on line by 2011 GTL will be available in large volumes.
Approval for the 50% blend was received in September, and the ultimate goal is to achieve approval for 100% blend of GTL with other synthetic fuels.
GTL provides environmental benefits as it is clean burning - it produces fewer particulates, thereby reducing sulphur and nitrate emissions - and provides up to 5% higher energy density per weight. Qatar Airways ultimately aims to use the fuel for all its regular operations.

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Merci, Jeannot !

Regardeez l'image : A340-600HGW, à moteurrs RR Trent-556 ou -560 !

Une "première pour le trio Aitbus, Qatar & RR !

Ce serait une bonne surprise si Qatar choisissait le RR Trent-900 pour ses A380 !

Bravo !!!! Qatar pourrait voler au carburant à base de gaz liquéfié en 2012.

Qatar Airways aims to fuel all flights from its Doha hub with a 50% blend of gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene from 2012, following its successful first GTL revenue flight between London and Qatar today.
The 6h flight from Gatwick operated by an Airbus A340-600 was the first commercial service powered by GTL fuel and the first time that GTL has been used to power all engines. Airbus operated an A380 GTL demonstration flight in February last year between Bristol and Toulouse, but only one of the four Rolls-Royce Trent engines was GTL-fuelled.
Speaking to Flightglobal on board the historic flight, Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said that the demonstration signalled an important milestone in the airline's environmental drive. "This flight is the first step in making alternative fuel available to airlines."
The fuel for the test flight was supplied by Shell's GTL plant in Bintulu, Malaysia. Shell and partner Qatar Petroleum are building a huge GTL plant which is due to begin production at the end of next year and will ramp up GTL kerosene output to one million tonnes a year in 2012.
"When it is available at Doha airport, all Qatar Airways flight will operate with a mix of GTL," says Al Baker.
Shell Aviation general manager operations/technical & supply Gary Woodward says that the flight marks an important milestone in the development of aviation fuel: "The availability of a new fuel in our industry is very rare."
"In the long term demand for fuel is going to outstrip supply so for airlines the availability of GTL adds to the fuel pool as supply get gets tight," he adds. "We need new fuels to bring a diversity of supply options."
On board the commercial demonstration flight were a total of 240 passengers including VIP guests, a small group of media which included Flightglobal and fare-paying passengers. The latter were advised in advance about the nature of the flight.
Qatar Airways announced the GTL project at the Dubai air show in November 2007. It is partnered with Shell, Qatar Petroleum, Airbus, R-R, Qatar Science & Technology Park and Qatari fuel supplier Woqod.

Après l'expérience réussie, toute la flotte volerait avec ce mélange 50-50 gaz-Jet1.

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Merci Jeannot

Le problème, actuellement, c'est que le Gas To Liquid est bien plus cher que le Jet Kero.

Ses qualités majeures dans le secteur automobile :

1/ Il ne nécessite pas de transformation lourde du moteur.

2/ Il est distribuable par les mêmes circuits que ceux utilisés par les carburants actuels, sans modification complète des infrastructures existantes.

Concernant les aéronefs, il serait intéressant de voir si 1/ et 2/ sont valables aussi.

Mais la composition du GTL permet déjà une légère augmentation de l'autonomie.

Curieux de connaitre les résultats qui seront annoncés par Qatar ou RR ( ou Shell si c'est bien le fournisseur ).

Le 50/50 sort bien de la JV Shell - Qatar Petroleum, raffinerie baptisée Pearl GTL au Qatar.

Pas de modifications des Trent de l'A340-600, il me semble.

Airbus avait réalisé une étude prédictive, avant la chute des cours pétroliers, annonçant 30% du parc mondial avions utilisant le GTL après 2020. Un peu optimiste ?

La production du GTL utilise le procédé Fisher-Tropsch, d'une façon plus complexe que pour le gasole automobile.

Merci pour ces posts.

Effectivement, personne ne parle du besoin de modifierles moteurs RR Trent 556 / 560 !

Pas de modification nécessaire, paraît-il !

Une interview d'Al Baker, CEO de Qatar.
Plus ( not anymore ) de première classe mais une business top.

Plan d'acquisition de flotte détaillé, contractuellement.

Sur Gulftimes :

Qatar Airways has sought a revised schedule for the delivery of Airbus A380 super jumbos in view of the airline’s ‘performance requirements’, CEO Akbar al-Baker has said.

“We don’t know when we will start receiving the A380s; we are waiting for Airbus to come back to us with the revised date,” al-Baker told Gulf Times.

He, however, said Qatar Airways would take delivery of the ‘contractually committed aircraft’. “We have placed orders for five Airbus A380s. These are firm orders and we have not gone for any other option,” al-Baker said.

The four-engined Airbus A380 is the world’s largest passenger jet. Qatar Airways is a launch customer of the twin-deck super jumbos, capable of carrying 555 passengers in a luxurious configuration.

As per the earlier schedule, the national carrier would have taken delivery of the A380s from 2012. The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) is being built with facilities that can accommodate the ‘super jumbos’.

Qatar Airways plans to initially operate the A380 on its flagship European route between Doha and London Heathrow followed by other prime, high-density routes.

Al-Baker said the delivery of Qatar Airways’ 32 Boeing B777s would be completed by 2011. The national carrier took delivery of its first Boeing aircraft-a Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft-in November 2007.

From only four aircraft in 1997, Qatar Airways has grown to a fleet size of more than 70 aircraft now. By 2013, the fleet size will reach 110 aircraft.

Currently, Qatar Airways has more than 220 aircraft on order worth more than $40bn for delivery over the next few years.

On the opening of the NDIA, al-Baker said the ‘contractual agreement’ was that the new airport should be handed over by 2011. Initially, the new airport will have a capacity of 24mn passengers a year. Once fully developed beyond 2015, the airport is expected to handle up to 50mn passengers a year.

On the airline’s three new destinations he said, “This will happen in the current financial year.” Al-Baker did not disclose details on the two ‘unnamed destinations’ in Europe. “I cannot tell you, I cannot name them,” he said.

Qatar Airways is set to fly to Melbourne in Australia on December 6. Sydney will be connected in early 2010. Currently, the national carrier flies to 84 destinations worldwide.

'No first-class seats on inter-continental flights'

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker says the airlines is ‘contractually committed’ to orders for five Airbus A380s.

‘No first-class seats on inter-continental flights’

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker has said the airline will not have first-class seats on its inter-continental flights anymore. “But our product in business class is better than first class in most of the airlines,” he told Gulf Times. Qatar
Airways has taken a decision not to unduly focus on first-class seats as premium travel by the global economic downturn, al-Baker said. “The demand for first-class seats has certainly come down because of the recession. However, there are many takers for our business class seats,” he said recently.
Early this year, the airline decided to overhaul its A340s by removing the first-class lounge. The airline cited ‘low usage’ for removing the first-class lounge, which would provide room for many seats in the economy class.

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Bonjour, chers tous ! Contexte : Dubai, ...... 2009 et la suite dans la région.

Lien :
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DATE:16/11/09. SOURCE:Flight Daily News
Dubai 09: R-R signs to deal to assist Qatar with science research
By [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has linked with Qatar's technology research sector, signing a tenancy agreement with the country's science centre QSTP. The deal will support Qatar's drive to create a hub for technology development, education and research in the region.

R-R has strong ties with the nation's flag carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which operates four [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-powered [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-600s and holds orders for 80 Trent XWB-powered A350s.

The engine maker is a partner in the Qatar gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene research programme, which recently saw a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] operating the world's first GTL-powered commercial flight.

R-R says that its wholly owned subsidiary OSyS will work closely with local industry and academics and take the lead in establishing a research, training and development programme in the QSTP.
"Our activity will enable development of core skills and partnerships which are critical to developing a competitive and diversified economy," says Miles Cowdry, R-R's director - global corporate development.

Il ne serait pas étonnant que Qatar annonce son choix de RR Trent 900 comme motorisation de ses A380.

Qatar veut être parmi les premiers dans l'utilisation ds "carburants modernes"

Lien :
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Qatar Airways.(AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST Report)
Air Transport World, Arrival Time: 2009-11-19

Qatar Airways A340-600 powered by Trent 556 engines flew from London Gatwick to Doha last month using a 50-50 blend of synthetic GTL kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene, which the carrier said was the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by fuel made from natural gas. The flight was the "latest step" for the consortium comprising QR, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Science & Technology Park, Shell and Qatar Fuel.

On y arrive !

Extrait d'un interviwe donné par recemment Mr Al Baker à la BBC et diffusé le 26 novembre.

Just a few soundbites from the interview:

- We are an airline which is in the black, is growing, and we are there to face the challenge.

- IATA is right; there are airlines which are inefficient, with no clear strategy to grow, but we are focussed at Qatar Airways

- We have downward pressure on premium traffic and yields

- We are making good profits from our fuel hedging policy

- We are different from some airlines because we do not deploy capacity where it is not required. Our fleet is flexible and is deployed according to demand

Interviewer said to him: "IATA said of the Middle-East, growth is there, growth is good, but it is not sustainable as growth in capacity is outstripping demand."

Response: I take what he says with a pinch of salt; he is a politician.

- Question: Emirates profits are down 72%. What are yours?
Answer: We are a private government public partnership. We do not publish profits.

- Question: Isn't your growth fuelled by major state aid?
Answer: This is talk by people who don't know their business.

-Question: Isn't your fuel subsidised?
Answer: Our highest fuel cost is actually in our own country. I can buy Qatari fuel cheaper in the Philippines.

-Question: You ordered 30 B787s, which were due in 2010. Are you thinking of cancelling?
Answer: No. We have now settled with Boeing. They are going to deliver in 2011. If there is any further slippage, yes, then we will have to reconsider. We gave Boeing an ultimatum. We had a termination notice prepared, and if it slips any further, we WILL cancel the order.

-Question: You sound like someone who will never buy Boeing again?
Answer: If this is the way they treat customers, as they tried to treat us, without success, yes, then they will not only lose me, but others too, and if there is another slip in Boeing, I think they will have more cancellations, not only from Qatar Airways, but other airlines too.

We are buying the 787 because it has a 20% less fuel burn.
We are buying other aircraft, the A350 because it is even more sophisticated.

-Question: What do you expect your passenger number to be in 2050?
Answer: 50 million passengers.

Belle histoire d'amour avec Boeing

Le lien vers la video est devenu disponible.

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