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Qatar Airways News and Discussion Thread - 2021

Anyone have a confirmed date for when QR returns to LXR (Luxor, Egypt)?

Been a point of contention for me and my travel buddies' plans!

QR will be starting flights to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC) effective March 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both will be operated via Abuja at 4 and 3 weekly flights respectively.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/1 ... t-harcourt

Exciting to see a new foray into West Africa by QR. I presume they don't seem to have issues repatriating funds like other airlines have had in the past.

Airlinerdude wrote:

QR will be starting flights to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC) effective March 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both will be operated via Abuja at 4 and 3 weekly flights respectively.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/1 ... t-harcourt

Exciting to see a new foray into West Africa by QR. I presume they don't seem to have issues repatriating funds like other airlines have had in the past.

QR certainly is well placed with its narrow-body fleet to connect Africa to DOH - very exciting to see where else they add.

Is there a list of cities announced by QR but not yet flown? Hoping we see them permanently in BNE once AU-Qatari bilaterals are sorted.

LAX772LR wrote:

Anyone have a confirmed date for when QR returns to LXR (Luxor, Egypt)?

Been a point of contention for me and my travel buddies' plans!

8th May according to Galileo GDS. 3 a week.

smi0006 wrote:

Airlinerdude wrote:

QR will be starting flights to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC) effective March 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both will be operated via Abuja at 4 and 3 weekly flights respectively.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/1 ... t-harcourt

Exciting to see a new foray into West Africa by QR. I presume they don't seem to have issues repatriating funds like other airlines have had in the past.

QR certainly is well placed with its narrow-body fleet to connect Africa to DOH - very exciting to see where else they add.

Is there a list of cities announced by QR but not yet flown? Hoping we see them permanently in BNE once AU-Qatari bilaterals are sorted.

QR is developing a stanglehold on the Nigerian market. Especially seeing as emirates is struggling to break back in.

I think they’re the only international airline to offer flights from 4 cities in nigeria

Had a source tell me they had plans to fly DOH-YVR from March 28th, 2022 but then backed out of the plan for I do not know why as it's all internal talks in the airline. All I know is that they have 4x extra slots they can use on a 2nd Canadian destination which could be YYZ or they could again have plans to launch YVR. This is highly unlikely but they could also increase YUL with a 2nd flight similar to JFK and ORD but my best bet is it'll be a new route to either YVR or YYZ. Most likely its DOH-YVR since AC already flies YYZ-DOH and YVR they were planning to fly before backing out suddenly.

smi0006 wrote:

Airlinerdude wrote:

QR will be starting flights to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC) effective March 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both will be operated via Abuja at 4 and 3 weekly flights respectively.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/1 ... t-harcourt

Exciting to see a new foray into West Africa by QR. I presume they don't seem to have issues repatriating funds like other airlines have had in the past.

QR certainly is well placed with its narrow-body fleet to connect Africa to DOH - very exciting to see where else they add.

Is there a list of cities announced by QR but not yet flown? Hoping we see them permanently in BNE once AU-Qatari bilaterals are sorted.

YYZORD wrote:

Had a source tell me they had plans to fly DOH-YVR from March 28th, 2022 but then backed out of the plan for I do not know why as it's all internal talks in the airline. All I know is that they have 4x extra slots they can use on a 2nd Canadian destination which could be YYZ or they could again have plans to launch YVR. This is highly unlikely but they could also increase YUL with a 2nd flight similar to JFK and ORD but my best bet is it'll be a new route to either YVR or YYZ. Most likely its DOH-YVR since AC already flies YYZ-DOH and YVR they were planning to fly before backing out suddenly.

smi0006 wrote:

Airlinerdude wrote:

QR will be starting flights to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC) effective March 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both will be operated via Abuja at 4 and 3 weekly flights respectively.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/1 ... t-harcourt

Exciting to see a new foray into West Africa by QR. I presume they don't seem to have issues repatriating funds like other airlines have had in the past.

QR certainly is well placed with its narrow-body fleet to connect Africa to DOH - very exciting to see where else they add.

Is there a list of cities announced by QR but not yet flown? Hoping we see them permanently in BNE once AU-Qatari bilaterals are sorted.

Please tell your source that he/she is poorly informed. Qatar has rights to 7 weekly flights to Canada and unlikely to change.

flyyul wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

Had a source tell me they had plans to fly DOH-YVR from March 28th, 2022 but then backed out of the plan for I do not know why as it's all internal talks in the airline. All I know is that they have 4x extra slots they can use on a 2nd Canadian destination which could be YYZ or they could again have plans to launch YVR. This is highly unlikely but they could also increase YUL with a 2nd flight similar to JFK and ORD but my best bet is it'll be a new route to either YVR or YYZ. Most likely its DOH-YVR since AC already flies YYZ-DOH and YVR they were planning to fly before backing out suddenly.

smi0006 wrote:

QR certainly is well placed with its narrow-body fleet to connect Africa to DOH - very exciting to see where else they add.

Is there a list of cities announced by QR but not yet flown? Hoping we see them permanently in BNE once AU-Qatari bilaterals are sorted.

Please tell your source that he/she is poorly informed. Qatar has rights to 7 weekly flights to Canada and unlikely to change.

They have rights to fly 11 weekly flights to Canada. They originally had 4x weekly which all went to YUL, they gained 7x more weekly flights to Canada which totals 11x weekly flights. QR used 3x of the extra weekly flights to make DOH-YUL service daily which left them with 4x extra weekly flights they can use elsewhere in Canada. If my source was poorly informed, I would not be specifying a specific date or a specific number of weekly flights for no reason, I'm trying to be as accurate as possible. My same source also let me know about SQ's SIN-YVR service before they announced the route.

YYZORD wrote:

flyyul wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

Had a source tell me they had plans to fly DOH-YVR from March 28th, 2022 but then backed out of the plan for I do not know why as it's all internal talks in the airline. All I know is that they have 4x extra slots they can use on a 2nd Canadian destination which could be YYZ or they could again have plans to launch YVR. This is highly unlikely but they could also increase YUL with a 2nd flight similar to JFK and ORD but my best bet is it'll be a new route to either YVR or YYZ. Most likely its DOH-YVR since AC already flies YYZ-DOH and YVR they were planning to fly before backing out suddenly.

Please tell your source that he/she is poorly informed. Qatar has rights to 7 weekly flights to Canada and unlikely to change.

They have rights to fly 11 weekly flights to Canada. They originally had 4x weekly which all went to YUL, they gained 7x more weekly flights to Canada which totals 11x weekly flights. QR used 3x of the extra weekly flights to make DOH-YUL service daily which left them with 4x extra weekly flights they can use elsewhere in Canada. If my source was poorly informed, I would not be specifying a specific date or a specific number of weekly flights for no reason, I'm trying to be as accurate as possible. My same source also let me know about SQ's SIN-YVR service before they announced the route.

The Air Service agreement between Canada and Qatar only allows 7 weekly passenger flights for both Canadian and Qatari operators. Your source is ill-informed.

flyyul wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

flyyul wrote:

Please tell your source that he/she is poorly informed. Qatar has rights to 7 weekly flights to Canada and unlikely to change.

They have rights to fly 11 weekly flights to Canada. They originally had 4x weekly which all went to YUL, they gained 7x more weekly flights to Canada which totals 11x weekly flights. QR used 3x of the extra weekly flights to make DOH-YUL service daily which left them with 4x extra weekly flights they can use elsewhere in Canada. If my source was poorly informed, I would not be specifying a specific date or a specific number of weekly flights for no reason, I'm trying to be as accurate as possible. My same source also let me know about SQ's SIN-YVR service before they announced the route.

The Air Service agreement between Canada and Qatar only allows 7 weekly passenger flights for both Canadian and Qatari operators. Your source is ill-informed.

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights between Canada and Qatar, QR were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

YYZORD wrote:

flyyul wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

They have rights to fly 11 weekly flights to Canada. They originally had 4x weekly which all went to YUL, they gained 7x more weekly flights to Canada which totals 11x weekly flights. QR used 3x of the extra weekly flights to make DOH-YUL service daily which left them with 4x extra weekly flights they can use elsewhere in Canada. If my source was poorly informed, I would not be specifying a specific date or a specific number of weekly flights for no reason, I'm trying to be as accurate as possible. My same source also let me know about SQ's SIN-YVR service before they announced the route.

The Air Service agreement between Canada and Qatar only allows 7 weekly passenger flights for both Canadian and Qatari operators. Your source is ill-informed.

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights, they were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

Go to the Canadian Transport Agency website and read the Canada-Qatar air service agreement for yourself. It's 7 weekly flights.

YYZORD wrote:

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights between Canada and Qatar, QR were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

Not saying you're wrong, but do you have a source for the increase in the bilateral? Usually some delegation makes noise whenever Qatar gets awarded more air rights in a country.

I'd be somewhat surprised if Qatar (with a pop of 2.8M) managed to get 11 weekly flights to Canada, while he UAE (with a pop of 9.9M) only has 10 weekly flights.

YYZORD wrote:

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights between Canada and Qatar, QR were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

Perhaps you were able to announce SIN-YVR because a Swissport manager didn't think people would read/share his Linkedin post and celebrated a bit too early ?

The rights are 7x weekly for each side. AC is currently using 4 of the 7 weekly Canadian frequencies.

Canada does NOT publish specific details for most bilateral air services agreements, including the agreement with Qatar. Assertions regarding whether Qatar and Canada are entitled to no more than 7 OR up to 11 weekly frequencies can not be proven with certainty.

It’s important to remember that Canada has relied on Qatar in the last 2 years. In 2020, Qatar Airways flew thousands of Canadians home during the early stages of the pandemic, when most other airlines shut down. And last year, Qatar assisted in the evacuation of Canadians from Afghanistan.

Did Canada reward Qatar with additional landing rights for their generous assistance? I would hope so, but time will tell. YVR is my home and it is always good to see new international airlines here. If Canada did award more landing rights, perhaps the UAE should take note in that kindness with Canada always wins in the long run.

Airlinerdude wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights between Canada and Qatar, QR were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

Not saying you're wrong, but do you have a source for the increase in the bilateral? Usually some delegation makes noise whenever Qatar gets awarded more air rights in a country.

I'd be somewhat surprised if Qatar (with a pop of 2.8M) managed to get 11 weekly flights to Canada, while he UAE (with a pop of 9.9M) only has 10 weekly flights.

One of my sources is in constant contact with Foreign Affairs Canada and got this information from them, the other has his own sources who work with QR. I was given the same information by both.

Airlinerdude wrote:

YYZORD wrote:

If he is ill-informed, why was I able to announce SQ's nonstop SIN-YVR route before its official announcement? Even then you told me my source is ill-informed but SQ serving SIN-YVR nonstop became a reality. Going back to QR topic, the air service agreement is 11 weekly passenger flights between Canada and Qatar, QR were awarded 7 extra flights from the original 4 flights. 7 (new) + 4 (previous pre-covid) = 11 total weekly flights.

Not saying you're wrong, but do you have a source for the increase in the bilateral? Usually some delegation makes noise whenever Qatar gets awarded more air rights in a country.

I'd be somewhat surprised if Qatar (with a pop of 2.8M) managed to get 11 weekly flights to Canada, while he UAE (with a pop of 9.9M) only has 10 weekly flights.

Dubai is a popular place to visit, but also a massive transit hub. Abu Dhabi less so on both counts, but still big. DOH is mostly transit.

In this case, the country population is irrelevant.

[If Canada did award more landing rights, perhaps the UAE should take note in that kindness with Canada always wins in the long run. [/quote]

No it doesn't. The UAE is an example of that...for years it hosted a Canadian military base, housed 50,000 Canadians, was a large foreign investor in Canada, largest trade partner in the middle East etc. and was consistently denied more landing rights because AC never agreed. It was only after AC started flying to DXB did Canada grant more rights...

The only time Canada is more generous with landing rights is when Air Canada doesn't complain about it endlessly.

YYZ ORD was wondering why QR has not announced a planned YVR-DOH route. If such a route was allowed, maybe it has been put on hold as QR has stopped flying DOH-ATQ. See the link to the attached article. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amrit ... hts-352066.

YVR-DOH on its own is not an attractive route. However, there would be a large number of passengers flying YVR-DOH-ATQ due to heavy VFR traffic between YVR and ATQ. Connecting in DOH is probably more desirable than flying on AC or AI through DEL.

I would be amazed to see QR at YVR, but who knows, stranger things have happened during the pandemic. I mean if SQ can start SEA-YVR-SIN, anything is possible!

Qatar Airways is switching most of its US B777 routes to A350 due to the ongoing 5G frequency issues.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr725

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr701

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr719

Press release from QR confirming the continuation of its service to the US despite cancelations from other airlines (clear reference to EK).

https://twitter.com/qatarairways/status ... 9280425986

Pretty ironic they are able to sustain services to the US thanks to an aircraft with "distubing deterioration".

guillermohs wrote:

Qatar Airways is switching most of its US B777 routes to A350 due to the ongoing 5G frequency issues.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr725

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr701

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr719

Press release from QR confirming the continuation of its service to the US despite cancelations from other airlines (clear reference to EK).

https://twitter.com/qatarairways/status ... 9280425986

Pretty ironic they are able to sustain services to the US thanks to an aircraft with "distubing deterioration".

Also shows the big positive of having a diverse fleet structure to be able to rely upon more than one aircraft type. They had to move to the 777 as some of the 350s were being removed from service, but luckily they seem to have enough to switch back at least for the time being

In regarding Canada rights, is that feasible for Qatar to talk to Calgary and Edmonton airports and officials to see if Qatar can guarantee a 4 weekly flights to those airport in exchange to increase flights to Toronto and Montreal to daily?

Looks like Airbus terminate the contract for 50 A321s with QR

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 022-01-20/

Airbus are citing a contractual right to cancel. Intriguing, has QR deferred deliveries beyond its contractual rights?

A321 progress payments witheld beyond contractually binding dates as a by-product of the A350 dispute??? What next? Refusal to accept/Cancellation (by QTR) of all undelivered A350-1000s, including those already built????

This is seriously getting wild

My guess of the reason Airbus cancelled the A321 contract is a breach of confidentiality clauses in the A350 saga. I am aware that separate agreements are entered into for each order, but the move by QR was over the top.

Wildlander wrote:

A321 progress payments witheld beyond contractually binding dates as a by-product of the A350 dispute??? What next? Refusal to accept/Cancellation (by QTR) of all undelivered A350-1000s, including those already built????

QR have refused to take aircraft and have said so explicitly. Perhaps their next move will be to cancel the remaining orders.

Well, more A320 slots for other Airlines that are not as troublesome as Qatar. Could even get a nicer margin out of the slots.

The winner is Boeing, the Future sole supplier of QR.

Well, let’s hope QR doesn’t mind paying big premiums on aircraft, and that these aircraft fit their size and capability needs quite precisely. For a big operator which needs quite varied fleets it’s not ideal.

Loss of 50 A321neos isn’t a disaster in and of itself.

This is getting crazy. Airbus has some 5 completed Qatar A 350-1000 on property plus some 10 more in various stages of construction. With Airbus cancelling the A321 contract likely hurting Qatar more than Airbus I take it Airbus is not counting on delivering any more A350'ies even though they continued flight testing presumably as per contract until very recently. Some of those aircraft are likely partially paid for as are their engines. It will be difficult to get out of this dilemma, without someone - and this does not appear to be Airbus - giving way. Maybe a serious U-turn is required, with the person reputed for such turns to depart.
This will be fun for outside observers for some time, and I doubt Boeing will jump in to replace Airbus as the next target

Qatar might be regretting cancelling its MAX order now. (Probably not, but perhaps.)

queb wrote:

Looks like Airbus terminate the contract for 50 A321s with QR

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 022-01-20/

Wow this is reaching a completely new level. I hope Airbus does know what they are doing ... I doubt.
Go for the MAX9 Qatar! It has enough range for most Destinations in Europe and most of Africa, Russia and South Asia. I am sure Boeing would be happy to finally build a MAX9ER with the MAX10 landing gear, slight MTOW bump and second ACT. This would cover more and offer better reliability.

I found this interesting where it seems pilot fatigue is not just something happening over at EK, but also at QR.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/1899456-exclusive-pilots-raise-alarm-at-qatar-airways-for-doctored-hours-hidden-fatigue

Skyliner reports B77L A7-BBF as having flown TLS - DOH after painting into an all-white scheme.
This seems odd to me as for one, QR say they are currently short of frames due 350 groundings if BBF is getting withdrawn, and secondly why would a 777 be repainted at TLS ?

TC957 wrote:

Skyliner reports B77L A7-BBF as having flown TLS - DOH after painting into an all-white scheme.
This seems odd to me as for one, QR say they are currently short of frames due 350 groundings if BBF is getting withdrawn, and secondly why would a 777 be repainted at TLS ?

It was apparently being returned to the lessor: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/51843469797/in/dateposted/

They do use TLS for painting before. One of their 777s got painted in the 2022 World Cup scheme in TLS.

Not sure why, but I agree its odd when they are leasing other jets in to make up for capacity. It's not even the oldest of the 200LR fleet.

Gar1G wrote:

I found this interesting where it seems pilot fatigue is not just something happening over at EK, but also at QR.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/1899456-exclusive-pilots-raise-alarm-at-qatar-airways-for-doctored-hours-hidden-fatigue

Bit more official link: https://news.trust.org/item/20220127165016-k769t/

It's funny that a lot of the influencers/journalists so quick to cover the 350 paint are not talking about this one...

TC957 wrote:

secondly why would a 777 be repainted at TLS ?

Probably because with the reduced production rates there is capacity available and it’s closer to DOH.

Gar1G wrote:

It's funny that a lot of the influencers/journalists so quick to cover the 350 paint are not talking about this one...

Qatar as a nation is still growing when it comes providing fair expectations for workers. It is something they freely admit at the highest levels. They also rightly point out the opportunities and benefits they have provided to foreign workers.

“Qatar has never shied away from acknowledging that its labour system is still a work in progress, but we expect reporting to present the facts as they stand. Going forward, Qatar remains firmly committed to cooperation, transparency and continuous improvement of its labour system.”

From https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/2021/11/23/im ... -guardian/

This story is not news for anyone in industry.

Gar1G wrote:

I found this interesting where it seems pilot fatigue is not just something happening over at EK, but also at QR.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/1899456-exclusive-pilots-raise-alarm-at-qatar-airways-for-doctored-hours-hidden-fatigue

In the article

I fell asleep during the descent with 400 passengers on board,"

That's a big one for me. I get falling asleep during cruise. I can even understand (not justifying) falling asleep at cruise that causes you to miss the descent. But to be so tired that you fall asleep during descent when there is a lot to keep you focused on and awake is surprising. You'd have to be really tired by that point.

We're overworked and fatigued – but I never filled out a fatigue report because I don't want to be in the spotlight

This is also a concern. If this is common, it means the whole safety reporting system is invalid. It'd be interesting to do analysis on how many reports they have filed per 100,000 miles flown on flights over 8 hours versus other airlines. Over that large of a dataset, if they had significantly less reports, that would tell me that they are significantly under reporting, which likely means they are significantly more tired.

Not sure if it was mentioned as to where the leased CX frames are going. Just saw they’re selling MLE-DOH F tickets and a quick check of the seat maps would confirm that’s where at least a few of the frames will be going for the spring.

Qatar has signed for Boeing 777X Freighters.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-s ... 55421.html

firemansparky wrote:

Qatar has signed for Boeing 777X Freighters.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-s ... 55421.html

Qatar is the second-largest customer for the world's largest twin-engined jetliner with a total of 60 of the 406-seat 777X passenger version on order. Industry sources estimate that could fall by around a third in the wake of design delays and a drop in near-term demand for long-haul passenger jets, suggesting the number of new airframes resulting from the freighter order could be closer to 15.

Wow so at the same time as ordering, is there possibly a hidden reduction in orders for the main 777-9 (and possible -8)?

Looks like 737MAX order also.

"Qatar Airways is set to place a provisional order for up to 50 Boeing 737 MAX jets as part of a potential 100-plane, $30-billion-plus package to be signed in Washington on Monday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/qatar-ai ... 19379.html

Gar1G wrote:

firemansparky wrote:

Qatar has signed for Boeing 777X Freighters.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-s ... 55421.html

Qatar is the second-largest customer for the world's largest twin-engined jetliner with a total of 60 of the 406-seat 777X passenger version on order. Industry sources estimate that could fall by around a third in the wake of design delays and a drop in near-term demand for long-haul passenger jets, suggesting the number of new airframes resulting from the freighter order could be closer to 15.

Wow so at the same time as ordering, is there possibly a hidden reduction in orders for the main 777-9 (and possible -8)?

Would be very surprised if that happens as 777X is their 777NG + 380 replacement but a possibility is there for sure.

Also, I wonder from where they pulled that 406 seats number from (and even why almost every article about the 777X calls it a 400 seater aircraft) when it definitely wont be seating that much in QR's typical 77W configuration.

-QR has converted 20 B779 to B777XF
- it seems that the B777XF will be based on the 777-8.

Source: https://www.qatarairways.com/en/press-r ... 0000001105

What is the 737-10MAX range from Doha?

Could it do DOH-LHR with reasonable LF?

SEU wrote:

What is the 737-10MAX range from Doha?

Could it do DOH-LHR with reasonable LF?

Brochure range for MAX 10 is 3300nmi, DOH-LHR is 2833nmi, so it'd be a smidge tight, though with low density (as you'd expect QR to implement) I imagine it should be possible. I doubt they would do this, but a lot of Europe will be comfortably reached with full passenger load.