Qatar grounds A380

Claiming to be one of the few global airlines to have never stopped flying throughout the Covid-19 crisis Qatar Airways has grounded its ten-strong Airbus A380 fleet.

The word ‘grounded’ is emphasised in a press release.  The airline clearly intends to reintroduce the immensely popular double deck aircraft as soon as conditions are right.

Never one to shy away from responsibilities and perhaps having a dig at other carriers with not such a diverse fleet (the airline currently operates five different types of passenger jets) Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways Group has a strong record of industry leadership on sustainable operations. Thanks to our strategic and diversified investment in our fleet, the viability of our operations has not been dependent on any specific aircraft type. Our fleet mix has enabled us to continue operating routes throughout this crisis ensuring we do not leave passengers stranded.

"As we rebuild our network, passengers can rely on us to operate an honest schedule of flights to take them where they want to go, using the right size aircraft to offer sensible capacity on each route. As a result, we will not resume flying our fleet of A380 until demand returns to appropriate levels. Having closely studied the environmental impact numbers, flying such a large aircraft with a low load factor does not meet our environmental responsibilities or make commercial sense. Our young fleet of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft are a much better fit for current global demand.”

www.qatarairways.com

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