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Qatar Launches New Aircraft As Dubai Takes The First Spot
29 - Apr - 2014

Qatar Launches New Aircraft As Dubai Takes The First Spot

 

 

Qatar airways has announced plans to launch an A380 superjumbo at Heathrow airport on June 17th this year. This aircraft will operate between Hamad international airport which is in Doha Qatar and London Heathrow Airport. QR003 and QR004 aircrafts will be followed by two A380’s and the airline has plans to acquire 13 more in the future. In line with these plans, the Hamad international airport will have six contact gates that are specifically designed for the new aircraft. Other airlines using the airport are expected to switch by May 27.

This plan at Heathrow comes after Dubai airport was announced the busiest airport in the world. This is a title that was for a long time held by London Heathrow airport. By overtaking Heathrow, it shows the fast growth of the emirate airline in less than 39 years of operations. This survey was carried out for the number of international passengers in the first quarter. Dubai recorded 18.36 Million passengers while London Heathrow had 16 million passengers in the first quarter. According to airport council, international figures show Heathrow beat Dubai last year for international traffic. The third spot was taken by Hong Kong and the fourth by Paris.

The emirate airport experienced 11.4% growth from last year and is considered the fastest growing airport. On the other hand, Heathrow experienced a 10.8% growth. This ranking has brought contention in the UK where high politicians have been accused of delaying development plans at the airport. This is because in the emirates, aviation is considered a key sector. They consider it a priority and invest heavily in upgrading the airports’ infrastructure. Apart from that, most of its flights are transit; the emirates connect passengers on the globe in large aircrafts through a stop in its home hub. Dubai airport serves 142 destinations in 80 countries of the world; it handles passenger numbers of 40 million each year.