Airbus A350 XWB makes inaugural landing at Qatar

Airbus A350 XWB has made its first-ever landing at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA), before departing for its next stop, the Singapore Airshow 2014.

The launch customer for Airbus A350 XWB, Qatar Airways has ordered 80 aircrafts, leaning towards the larger A350-900 and A350-1000 models, which better suit its business model and passenger requirements, revealed Qatar Airways in a statement released on Wednesday.

According to Qatar Airways, the arrival of the A350 XWB to Doha from its Airbus base in Toulouse was a unique opportunity for both Airbus’ flight crew as well as HIA air traffic control and ground officials. HIA’s 4,850-metre eastern runway is engineered to meet the requirements of the world’s biggest and most advanced aircraft.

Commenting on the occasion, Qatar Airways CEO Al Baker said: "Hamad International Airport, which was built for advanced aircraft such as the Airbus A350 XWB, is our flagship asset and will soon be the new home of Qatar Airways and our modern fleet of aircraft, including the A350 XWB family.”

One-third the size of the city of Doha, HIA spans 22 square km, and is one of the most elaborate Greenfield airport projects in the world today. Upon initial opening, the airport will accommodate up to 24 million passengers, and up to 50 million by 2015. With its dual runway system, it will have the capacity to handle up to 360,000 aircraft annually, approximately 2.5 times more than the current airport.

The A350 XWB is a family of mid-sized wide-body airliners designed to enhance fuel, operating costs and environmental efficiencies during medium-to-long haul airline operations. Now in its advanced flight test program phase, the A350 XWB airliners are scheduled to enter into commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. In its 17th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a fleet of 129 aircraft flying to 134 key business and leisure destinations across six continents.