Qatar Air CEO Says Airbus Still Behind on A350, A320neo Deliveries
March 08 2017 - 7:15AM
Dow Jones News
By Robert Wall
BERLIN--Qatar Airways' Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said
European plane maker Airbus Group SE (AIR.FR) continues to lag on
plane deliveries, delaying the Middle East carrier's growth
plans.
Mr. Al Baker, one of the biggest buyers of planes from Airbus
and rival Boeing Co. (BA), said the handover of 10 of the European
company's planes are behind schedule. Qatar Airways has had to
delay the launch of around eight destinations as a consequence, he
told reporters at an annual travel event here.
"I hope that this will be resolved during this year," he said.
Airbus has struggled for more than a year to get its new
A350long-range plane and A320neo single-aisle aircraft to
customers. Supplier issues on airline seats and toilets have slowed
handover of the A350. Qatar Airways is the launch operator of the
plane. Engine problems have mired deliveries of A320neo planes.
"We are working with our customers to deliver all the planes to
full customer satisfaction," an Airbus spokesman said.
Mr. Al Baker said he was pushing the plane makers to get planes
on time. Unlike rivals Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, which
deferred some plane deliveries amid a slump in oil prices that has
weighed on business class bookings, Mr. Al Baker said he had no
plans to push out deliveries or curb capacity growth.
He also expressed confidence in continued access to the U.S.
market for Mideast carriers despite efforts by rivals there to have
the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump slow their
growth. Some U.S. carriers accuse their Middle East rivals of
competing unfairly in violation of an air traffic accord with the
U.S., a charge the Persian Gulf airlines deny.
Mr. Al Baker said Mr. Trump was a business man who wouldn't
deprive American passengers of service local carriers don't
offer.
Travel consultant ForwardKeys this week said demand for flights
to the U.S. from the Middle East had suffered after the Trump
Administration put in place a travel band on several
Muslim-majority countries. The travel ban was renewed this week
after an initial version was set aside by judges in the U.S. The
White House has defended efforts to curtail travel, arguing that
restrictions are needed to prevent terrorist attacks in the
U.S.
Qatar Airways has not seen a retreat in U.S. bookings, Mr. Al
Baker said. The carrier plans to add Las Vegas flights in January
on Boeing 777 planes, he said.
Mr. Al Baker also said he planned to set up an Indian airline
with around 100 planes. He previously had signaled interest in
buying a stake in Indian budget airline InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. or
IndiGo, but the opportunity passed because of local rules on
foreign airline ownership. Mr. Al Baker said those rules have now
changed opening the door for Qatar Airways to set up its own
offshoot.
-Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 08, 2017 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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