Qatar Airways has confirmed that it will launch its first long-haul Boeing 787 commercial services between Doha to London Heathrow on 13Dec12.
The 787 Dreamliner will debut on the Heathrow route as Doha-based Qatar Airways becomes the first airline to operate regular scheduled flights to the UK with Boeing’s newest commercial aircraft.
Initially, one of the airline’s five daily flights will be operated with the Boeing 787 – Flight QR 075 departing Doha at 06:25, arriving at London Heathrow at 11:05, with the return flight QR 076 departing London Heathrow at 15:05, arriving in Doha at 00:45 the following day.
Qatar Airways took delivery of the first of 60 Dreamliners earlier this month, with the second arriving over the weekend. Both aircraft are currently operating commercial flights on intra-Gulf routes to familiarise operating crew with the aeroplane before entering the long-haul market.
One important feature of every seat throughout the aircraft is the touch screen Android system, where passengers are able to navigate through a truly interactive service offering more than 1,000 movie, TV programmes, music and gaming entertainment options in a user friendly way, just like the latest smart phones.
The touch-screen control unit has a unique dual screen interface allowing passengers to play games on their handheld device while enjoying a movie on their personal screen.
Passengers can also stay connected through WIFI and GSM telephony, sending both text and MMS messages, with each seat equipped with USB, MP3 and other charger ports, including laptop power outlets.
Qatar Airways has 254 seats across its 787 Business and Economy Class cabins. Business Class is configured 1–2–1 with 22 seats, while Economy has 232 seats in a 3–3–3 layout.
