Qatar could be first airline connect the UAE

Airlines in the Middle East will be able to optimise their reach and profits as the most fuel-efficient plane of all time, according to industry experts, is set to arrive in the region when Qatar Airways takes delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners this summer. "The 787 should be the most efficient fuel-burning airliner in any fleet until something better comes along. It has a tremendous range for its size," says US-based aviation analyst Addison Schonland, a partner at AirInsight. "Consequently operators will be able to serve marginal routes much better and profitably. And because it is lighter than the competition the 787 will please airlines," he told Gulf News. Qatar Airways is the first Middle East customer of the Boeing 787, with 60 aircraft on order, including options. The Doha-based airline is preparing to take delivery of five 787s this year, with the first to arrive this summer. The carrier said this week that it will initially fly the aircraft on intra-Gulf routes, to provide flight crew with training hours — "which means it could essentially be the first airline to connect the UAE with a 787," points out an analyst. The Qatar Airways 787 will go on static display at the Farnborough Air Show in July, and then it will enter into long-haul commercial service on the Doha-London Heathrow route. ‘More competitive' Commenting on the impact the 787 is likely to have on the performance of the region's carriers, Geneva-based Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy, said: "The [long] range of the 787 is going to bring even more distant points into the network. That will make the market even more competitive and we will need to assume increasing responses from competitors." He added that it's a new generation aircraft, with "better [meaning lower] operating costs". "That will change the decision point on a number of possible routes and destinations. And the 787 will further cement the Middle East carrier business model of medium to long haul hubbing. "There is sometimes concern that the market is not large enough for all these large carriers, but that misses the point," said Charlton. Qatar Airways said earlier in the week that its first 787 Dreamliner is on the assembly line at the manufacturer's Everett plant in Seattle. The airline will unveil the interior of its 787 at the ITB Berlin tourism show this week. "Passengers will love the new cabin — lots of light and less jetlag because of the lower air pressure," said Schonland.