QATAR Airways has stated its readiness to comply with the airworthiness directive issued by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority, for all operators of the Boeing 787 to ground the aircraft, which took effect on 17 January 2013.
The Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker said: “I previously stated that Qatar Airways will only stop operating our Dreamliners, if we receive such an instruction from regulators.
“Safety remains the number one priority for Qatar Airways. We ensure all our aircraft meet the most stringent safety standards and this will not be compromised in any way.
“In light of recent events surrounding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner worldwide, we are actively working with Boeing and the regulators to restore full customer confidence in the 787.
“Qatar Airways will resume 787 operations when we are clear that the aircraft meets the full requirements of the Airworthiness Directive and our standards, which assure the safety of our passengers and crew at all times. So we are not flying the aircraft until and only such a time this is achieved.
“Qatar Airways would like to express our sincere apologies to passengers booked on our 787 flights, but we are sure they will understand our concerns in view of recent events with other 787 operators around the world. Our staff are assisting all affected passengers to be accommodated on other flights to get them to their final destination with minimum inconvenience”, Baker noted
It currently has five Boeing 787-8 aircraft in its fleet.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has launched a new mobile application for BlackBerry, Android, iPhone handsets, and introduced a new mobile website.
According to the airline, travellers can now search for, and book flights, check their flight status and follow travel alerts.
In addition, it stated that members of the airline’s Privilege Card, a frequent flyer programme can fast track booking by logging in with their membership number.
The airline added that customers can download the application from Qatar Airways website and follow the links to the iPhone, BlackBerry or from the Android smartphone app store.
The Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker, said, “We are continually looking for ways to bring new and exciting services to our customers. Mobility is high on the list of our customers to have access to important travel and flight information when and where they want it, so we have now given them a new service that meets that demand. As our customers’ needs evolve, so will the services and products that we offer”, he noted.