Quick Airline Information:

✈Airline IATA* code: QR
✈Airline ICAO* code:  QTR                       
✈Founded: 22 November 1993       
✈Website: www.qatarairways.com
✈Alliance: OneWorld
History
Operations and Destinations 🌍
Fleet ✈️
Photo Slide 📷
Safety Video 🎬
Airline reviews 
*IATA: (International Air Transport Association)
*ICAO: (International Civil Aviation Organization)

History Menu:

✈Airline Beginnings

Qatar Airways is the national airline of the State of Qatar and one of aviation industry’s big success stories. Operations began in 1994 when the airline was a small regional carrier serving a handful of routes. The airline was re-launched in 1997 under the mandate of His Highness The Father Emir, who outlined a vision to turn Qatar Airways into a leading international airline with the highest standards of service and excellence.

Qatar Airways has come a long way since it was established on November 22, 1993 and then started operations on January 20, 1994. Amman was first served in May 1994. By this time the fleet consisted of two Airbus A310s that served a route network including Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Cairo, Dubai, Khartoum, Kuwait, Madras, Manila, Muscat, Osaka, Sharjah, Taipei, Tokyo and Trivandrum. During 1995, two ex-All Nippon Airways Boeing 747s were bought from Boeing. The airline acquired a second-hand Boeing 747SP from Air Mauritius in 1996 also to expand operations. 

Boeing 727's were used in the initial years of Qatar Airways until they were retired in 2001. (Photo: airhistory.net).

Flights to London were launched during 1997. The airline also took delivery of two second-hand Airbus A300-600R, during the year; they replaced two Boeing 747s. The entering of these two A300s into the fleet also marked the introduction of a new logo.

A third A300-600R joined the fleet shortly afterwards. In July 1998 the carrier placed a firm order with Airbus for six Airbus A320s; it also took options for five more aircraft of the type. These latter four aircraft were aimed at replacing the Boeing 727-200  fleet and to fill the capacity gap before the hand over of the first A320. The airline took delivery of the first A320 in February 1999.

One of Qatar Airways’ three 747s at Gatwick in 1996. (Photo: simpleflying.com)
Airbus A310 were used initially on Qatar Airways first long haul routes until they were replaced with larger Airbus A330 and A340-600. (Photo: Airliners.net)
The Airbus A320's came into operation in 1999, also with new logo and titles similar to those today. (Photo: Wikiwand.com)

A fourth A300-600R, joined the fleet in April 2000.  In October 2000, Qatar Airways ordered an Airbus A319CJ and took an option for another aircraft of the type. The airline became the Airbus A380's ninth customer in 2001 when two aircraft of the type were ordered, plus two options. Also that year, the airline resumed services to Jakarta. In 2002, the government of Qatar withdrew from Gulf Air. In June 2003, a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 was the first aircraft that resumed the international services to Iraq when it flew the Doha–Basra route. Also that month, Qatar Airways incorporated its first dedicated cargo aircraft to the fleet. It was one of the Airbus A300-600R that was converted to freighter.

Qatar Airways A300's where common in airports around the world from Europe to Asia until 2006.(Photo: Wikiwand.com)
✈Expansion and Development

From the beginning of the new century, Qatar Airways, entered an era of ambitious expansion. In June 2003, at the Paris Air Show, the carrier placed an order with Airbus for two Airbus A321s, 14 Airbus A330s and two Airbus A340-600s. The deal included eight A330-200s and six -300s.  The first aircraft were scheduled to enter the fleet in 2004, with the A340-600 slated for delivery in 2006.
During the year the airline started serving the Chinese market with the introduction of flights to Shanghai. Also in 2003, the carrier expanded its portfolio of destinations with the commencement of services to Manchester in April and Cebu and Singapore in December. During the 2003 Dubai Air Show the airline firmed up an earlier commitment for two Airbus A380s and took options for another two of these aircraft.

The short haul fleet was complemented by the Airbus A319. However, it was not used much and remained for charter flights. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
In 2002 Qatar Airways received its first A330-200 which enabled it to reach more destinations. (Photo: Planepictures.net)

The Qatar Airways Group —which included Qatar Airways, Doha International Airport and corporate business air services, ground handling and in-flight catering companies— reported its first profit ever for the fiscal year  that ended on March 2004. Zurich became the carrier's 53rd destination worldwide in July 2004. Yangon was added to the list of destinations in December the same year. A new service to Osaka was launched in March 2005. Its first A340 was delivered on September 8, 2006.

2006, marked the introduction of a new and bolder logo  and after the redesign, the logo became more colourful and varied. The name of the company appeared on it in two versions: in English and Arabic. The designers enlarged the image of the Arabian oryx and placed it in a dashed circle. 

In 2006, Qatar Introduced a new bolder livery as also received it's new A340-600 which it used on long and ultra long haul routes. (Photo: Planepictures.net)

In May 2007, Qatar Airways and Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the acquisition of 80 Airbus A350 XWBs, including 20 A350-800s plus 40 and 20 aircraft of the –900 and –1000 variant, respectively, with the first aircraft initially slated for delivery in 2013. The agreement was firmed up in June during the 2007 Paris Air Show; three more Airbus A380s were also made part of the order. In July the same year, during the unveiling ceremony of the Boeing 787 in Everett, Qatar Airways was recognised as a future customer for the type when its logo appeared on one side of the brand new aircraft. By that time, the airline had not acknowledged it had placed an order for a number of these new aircraft.

In November the same year, a firm order for 30 Boeing 787-8s, plus options for 35 more aircraft of the –9 or –10 variant, was confirmed. The order also included 14 Boeing 777-300ERs, six Boeing 777-200LRs and seven Boeing 777Fs, whereas five more aircraft of the type were on option. The airline took delivery of its first 335-seater Boeing 777-300ER in late November 2007.

The route network grew further during 2007 with the incorporation of Newark in June, Nagpur —the carrier's seventh destination in India— in September, and Stockholm in November. A new scheduled service to New York-JFK that commenced in November 2008 replaced the Newark route. The first two Boeing 777-200LRs were handed over by the aircraft manufacturer in February 2009.


On June 15 the same year, at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways ordered 20 Airbus A320 and 4 Airbus A321 aircraft.  On October 12, 2009, the company completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas. Also in 2009, Qatar Airways launched its first scheduled flights to Australia with Melbourne being the first city served; routes to Chengdu, Hangzhou, Phnom Penh and Clark International Airport in the Philippines were launched during 2009 as well.

For it's medium haul routes, mostly to the middle east and India, the airline used the A321 from 2007. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
In February 2009, Qatar Airways received in first Boeing 777-200LR. (Photo: Planepictures.net)

Tokyo-Narita was first served by the carrier in April 2010. On May 18, 2010, the airline put its first Boeing 777F (A7-BFA) into service, with a flight from Doha to Amsterdam. The airline launched 22 new destinations since 2010, with nine more destinations announced: Ankara, Aleppo, Bangalore, Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Hanoi, Montreal, Nice, Phuket, São Paulo, Shiraz, Kolkata, Medina, Oslo, Sofia, Stuttgart, Venice and Tokyo. Qatar Airways also launched Benghazi and Entebbe during 2011. Service to Baku and Tbilisi, originally planned for 2011, was delayed until February 1, 2012.
Boeing's handover of a Boeing 777-200LR in September 2011 marked Qatar Airways receiving its 100th aircraft from this aircraft manufacturer. In November the same year, at the Dubai Airshow, the airline ordered 55 Airbus planes: 50 A320neo and 5 A380, in addition to two Boeing 777 freighters.


In July 2012, Perth became the second city served in Australia. On October 8, 2012, Qatar Airways announced it would join OneWorld within the forthcoming 18 months.  The joining ceremony took place on October 29, 2013 and Qatar Airways became the first major Persian Gulf carrier to join an airline alliance.

On November 12, 2012 Qatar Airways became the seventh carrier worldwide to acquire the Dreamliner, when Boeing handed over the airline's first aircraft of the type; it was the first delivered to a Middle Eastern airline. Dreamliner services on the long-haul Doha–London-Heathrow route commenced on Dec 13, with the airline becoming the first one to offer regular services to the United Kingdom using this aircraft. During 2013, Qatar Airways launched flights to Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Basra and Najaf in Iraq, Phnom Penh, Salalah and Chicago. Services to Ethiopia began in September 2013.


In February 2013, Qatar Airways opened its European Customer Service centre, which is in Wrocław, Poland. In June 2013, the airline firmed up an order for two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft plus seven options. On November 17, 2013, the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Qatar Airways purchased 50 Boeing 777-9Xs. The commitment was firmed up during the 2014 Farnborough Air Show. In addition, the transaction included firm orders for four Boeing 777Fs plus options for another four. An all-business class flight to London-Heathrow was launched in May 2014 with Airbus A319LR aircraft. Flights to Edinburgh were launched in May 2014. The carrier expected to take delivery of its first three Airbus A380 aircraft in June 2014. There were intentions to first deploy the type on the Doha–London-Heathrow route starting jun 17; another two undisclosed European points would likely become served with the A380. Delivery of the first aircraft of the type finally took place on 16 September 2014. A380 services to London commenced in October 2014. 

In October 2013, Qatar Airways joined the OneWorld Alliance and painted this Boeing 777-300ER in this special livery. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
A year later, in October 2014 Qatar received it's first A380 double decker, deployed first on its high yield route to London Heathrow. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
Boeing 787-8's begun to appear in Qatar Airways colours from Nov 2012 as it continued in expansion plans. (Photo: Planepictures.net)

The airline became the launch customer for the A350 XWB; the first Airbus A350-900 was handed over to the company on December 22, 2014 and had its first revenue flight to Frankfurt almost a month later, on January 15, 2015.


In January 2015, the airline concluded an order for four Boeing 777Fs, and later that year ten Boeing 777-8Xs and four additional Boeing. As of 5 February 2

Qatar Airways launched a new global brand campaign and tagline – Going Places Together – in New York, USA in 2015. The ‘Going Places Together’ campaign plays on the theme of achieving great things together whether for work, for family or for adventure, and encourages passengers to take journeys that will help them achieve their dreams and ambitions.
The first Airbus A350-900 was handed over to Qatar Airways on December 22, 2014 and had its first revenue flight to Frankfurt almost a month later. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
✈Recent History and Growth

In June 2017, all Qatar Airways flights were prevented from entering Emirati, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egyptian airports due to the 2017 diplomatic crisis. All airlines in those countries had already suspended their operations in Qatar's airspace and airports. This ban was in effect until January 2021, when it was lifted.2017 diplomatic crisis. All airlines in those countries had already suspended their operations in Qatar's airspace and airports. This ban was in effect until January 2021, when it was lifted.

Qatar Airways is proud to have been named Airline of the Year for the fourth time in 2017 as well as in 2011, 2012 and 2015 in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards.

In February 2018, the newest Airbus A350-1000 was handed over to Qatar Airways. Later, in November 2018, the airline announced it would expand its flights to Iran, landing at Tehran and Shiraz, as of January 2019, and to Isfahan in February.In February 2018, the newest Airbus A350-1000 was handed over to Qatar Airways. Later, in November 2018, the airline announced it would expand its flights to Iran, landing at Tehran and Shiraz, as of January 2019, and to Isfahan in February.

In December 2018, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, threatened to pull the company out of the Oneworld alliance in February, following accusations that alliance members Qantas and American Airlines engaged in "hostile business practices" against his carrier.CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, threatened to pull the company out of the Oneworld alliance in February, following accusations that alliance members Qantas and American Airlines engaged in "hostile business practices" against his carrier.

On April 30, 2019, Qatar Airways retired its last Airbus A340-600 from service after around 16 years of service. The last flight was QR835 from Bangkok to Doha. 


In February 2020, Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake in Rwanda's flag carrier airline, RwandAir. The partnership is intended to be beneficial for both the airlines as it would provide technical and financial support to RwandAir for its development and hub strategy, while Qatar Airways would be able to bypass the embargo imposed by neighbouring countries. Other business investments, made Qatar Airways invests a 10% stake in the LATAM Airlines Group. And also own a 9.99% stake in Cathay Pacific. 
In February 2020, Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake in Rwanda's flag carrier airline, RwandAir. The partnership is intended to be beneficial for both the airlines as it would provide technical and financial support to RwandAir for its development and hub strategy, while Qatar Airways would be able to bypass the embargo imposed by neighbouring countries. Other business investments, made Qatar Airways invests a 10% stake in the LATAM Airlines Group. And also own a 9.99% stake in Cathay Pacific. 

In February 2018, Qatar Airways received its first A350-1000 for its high capacity routes and to replace older planes such as the Airbus A380 or Boeing 777-200LR. (Photo: Planepictures.net)
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner's where accepted from end of 2019 and were vital to the companies operations as the Covid19 pandemic begun. (Photo: Planepictures.net)

In March 2020, when the  COVID-19 pandemic hit, Qatar Airways stringently implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures, and, as the only global airline that never stopped flying throughout the  COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways accumulated unrivalled experience of how to safely and reliably carry passengers during these uncertain times. In December 2020, thanks to its varied fleet of modern aircraft that allowed Qatar Airways to respond quickly to market changes, the airline was able to rebuild its network from its lowest point in May, when Qatar served only 33 destinations, to over 110 destinations. Qatar Airways even launched seven new destinations during the pandemic to meet demand.


In June 2021, Qatar Airways launched its new Business Class Suite featured on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner passenger aircraft on several key routes to Europe and Asia. Qatar Airways also offers the largest international network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations, providing unrivalled connectivity to passengers and making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination if they need to. On July 24, 2021, Qatar Airways resumed service to Cebu after eight years of absence.

In June 2021, Qatar Airways launched its new Business Class Suite featured on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner passenger aircraft on several key routes to Europe and Asia. (Photo: Businesstraveller.com).

Today, Qatar Airways continues leading the industry in the implementation of new safety measures to ensure that passengers are safe when traveling, both in the air and on the ground, but also to invest in the passenger experience both onboard and at Hamad International Airport. Thus, Qatar Airways became the first airline to operate the latest Honeywell’s Ultraviolet (UV) Cabin System version 2.0, to trial the IATA Travel Pass ‘Digital Passport’ mobile app in the Middle East, to operate the world’s first fully COVID-19 vaccinated flight, but also the first global airline to offer 100% touch-free ‘Zero-Touch’ in-flight entertainment technology.

Operations and Destinations 🌍:

As of January 25, 2021, Qatar Airways' network spreads across 120 destinations. The carrier is currently planning to expand its network to reach 150 routes by 2022.
Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha,
 the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 150 international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people. The carrier has been a member of the OneWorld alliance since October 2013.

The destinations* served by Qatar Airways are found below: 

Region 🗺️ Destinations 🌍🌎🌏
✈Europe and RussiaAdana, Amsterdam, Ankara, Antalya, Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Birmingham, Bodrum, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Istanbul, Istanbul, İzmir, Kyiv, Larnaca, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Mykonos, Odessa, Oslo, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Rome,  Santorini, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm, Tbilisi, Thessaloniki, Trabzon, Valletta, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Yerevan, Zagreb, Zürich. Moscow and Saint Petersburg. 
✈Middle EastAbu Dhabi, Almaty, Amman, Baghdad, Baku, Basra, Beirut, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Erbil, Faisalabad, Isfahan, Islamabad, Jeddah, Karachi, Kuwait City, Lahore, Mashhad, Medina, Multan, Muscat, Najaf, Nur-Sultan, Peshawar, Riyadh, Salalah, Sharjah, Shiraz, Sialkot, Sohar, Sulaymaniyah, Tashkent, Tehran
✈ Australia and New ZealandAdeleide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Auckland.
✈AsiaAhmedabad, Amritsar, Bangkok, Bengaluru, Cebu, Chennai, Chiang Mai, Clark, Colombo, Davao, Delhi, Denpasar, Goa, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Kathmandu,  Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Mahé, Malé, Manila, Mumbai, Nagpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Seoul, Singapore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo, Yangon
AfricaAbidjan, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Algiers, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Djibouti City, Durban, Entebbe, Entebbe, Gaborone, Harare, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Luanda, Lusaka, Maputo, Marrakesh, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nairobi, Namibia, Rabat, Tunis, Windhoek, Zanzibar
North and South AmericaAtlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C and Montreal (CA). São Paulo (BR).

*Destination list is for reference only. Please check directly with the airline for updates. 

*Note some destinations are only seasonal.*Correct info as of February 2022.                                

Fleet ✈️:

Qatar Airways has been operating a modern and efficient airline fleet and since the turn of the century, as it embarked on an ambitious plan to expand and serve as many destinations as possible but without forgetting its core customer service and quality, where the destinations selected where cautiously pinpointed as market possibilities arise. 

Currently the airline operates over 230 aircraft, with a good mix between Airbus and Boeing equipment, which has helped the airline navigate crisis's to deploy the correct size aircraft to its network with in the current times until markets grow and can deploy the bigger jets. 

It utilises a good mix of medium and long haul aircraft from the airbus A320 and A321 to the bigger Airbus A350 and Boeing 777-300. It has also operated the double decker Airbus A380 for under 10 years. However, since the COVID19 crisis these aircraft are now only operating selected routes as other more modern aircraft come online and operating some flights as other aircraft remain grounded due to technical issues. 

It's also worth mentioning that the airline has a cargo division with Boeing 747-8, B777-8 and B777-F.


The fleet* consists of the following aircraft: 

Network 🌐 Aircraft ✈️
✈Short Haul Airbus A320, A321
✈Medium and Long haulAirbus A330-200 and A330-300 (to be retired 2022), A350-900, A350-1000, A380, Boeing 787-8, 787-9, Boeing 777-200LR (to be retired 2024), B777-300ER
*Correct fleet info as of  February 2022.

Qatar Airways Photo Slide 📷:​

Qatar Airways Safety Video (x)  🎬:​

Reviews ⭐:

✅ Good core values on Customer Service and a quality airline👎 None found
✅ Amount of destinations and connections
✅ Easy Transit at Doha International Airport
✅ Modern Fleet and new planes always coming inline. 
✅ Good Entertainment system and offerings.
✅ Comfortable seating and decent legroom. 
✅ Member of the OneWorld alliance for mileage redemption.