Qatar Airways will unveil a new business-class seat at ITB Berlin in March, alongside the opening of Concourse F at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
The redesigned business-class seat will be installed across the airline’s Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 fleets. A different seat development is planned for the Boeing 787s, since the new design cannot be accommodated on that type. This year Qatar Airways expects delivery of 23 wide-body aircraft, and the eighth of 10 ordered A380s is due to arrive in the coming weeks.
“With the kind of product we offer, we will continue to generate demand,” said Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive of Qatar Airways Group. “The terminal was designed for expansion as we grow the airline, and this is what we will do.”
The carrier plans to expand its route network by about 15 destinations over the next year, reflecting ongoing fleet growth and market demand.
Hamad International Airport is expanding with the addition of Concourse F, increasing the terminal’s capacity to handle up to 65 million passengers annually. The expansion, designed by Foster + Partners, adds modern infrastructure and passenger amenities to the existing terminal. In 2015 the airport handled roughly 30 million passengers, compared with around 48 million at Dubai International, then the world’s busiest airport for international traffic.
The airport now offers a wide range of premium facilities, including 12 lounges and leisure amenities such as a swimming pool and a squash court. New technology features and branded duty-free shopping are part of the recent upgrades. Biometric-friendly e-gates are being introduced, and residents aged 18 and over can obtain free access cards; chip-reading passports are also supported for faster processing.