On 16th., September at the Airbus delivery centre in Hamburg, Qatar Airways took delivery of its first A380 out of the ten ordered.
The all fired up ceremony, took place three months behind the original schedule due to a request received by the manufacturer from the Gulf company to correct some minor problems with the cabin finishes ; notably, concerns with the carpeting, but all the same requiring Airbus to remove all the passenger seats in order to rectify the problem. The C.E.O. of Qatar Airways is demanding and does not hesitate to remind people of the fact.
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer - Qatar Airways: "I Would like to thank my team, that have been so dedicated, contributed to this successful delivery of this airplane and of course monitoring constantly the quality."
The layout of the Qatar Airways A-380, can accommodate a total of 517 passengers, including 461 in Economy class, 48 in Business Class and eight in First.
On the upper deck near the Premium passenger lounge, the First Class passengers each have a 66 centimetre (26 inch) screen, and the most spacious seats in the industry. Seats which convert into beds, of 2.29 metres (90 inches) in length.
Business class passenger seats are also reclinable to 180°, but the "pitch", or more clearly, the distance between your seat and the one in front, will only be 1.30 m. (52 inches). All passengers of the super-jumbo, including those in economy class, will at last, have one of the latest in-flight entertainment systems developed by Thales.
Qatar Airways is the twelfth airline to operate the A-380. Three additional wide-body aircraft will be delivered by the end of the year. As for the first unit, it will debut between Doha and London from 10th., October this year.
