Qatar upgrades its Maldives operations with A350

November 1, 2017: Doha head-quartered Qatar Airways has announced that it is the first airline ever to fly the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 to the Maldives.

The airline has upgraded its current double-daily A330 service to an A350, with the first A350 beginning operations today and the second A350 service is joining shortly afterwards on November 3.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said, “We are proud to be the first airline to fly our Airbus A350 to the Maldives. As one of the airline’s most in-demand destinations, we are delighted to be upgrading our aircraft and providing our passengers with the ultimate comfort and services on board one of the most technologically innovative aircraft in the sky.”

Renowned worldwide for its pristine white-sandy beaches, idyllic diving spots and preserved natural wonders, the Maldives is truly one of the world’s most exotic and tranquil leisure destinations. The picture-perfect islands are located in the Indian Ocean and are just five hours from Doha.

Qatar Airways first launched service to the Maldives in December 2001. The airline operated the service using an A330 aircraft, which features 30 seats in Business Class and 275 in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways was the global launch customer of the Airbus A350 in January 2015. The airline has the largest fleet of this aircraft type of any airline in the world and currently operates 19 A350 aircraft across its global network to destinations, including Adelaide, Brussels, Geneva, Singapore and Tokyo. It was the first airline to fly the A350 to the United States and Australia.

The Airbus A350 aircraft features a total of 283 seats, with 36 Business class seats and 247 in Economy Class. Thanks to the extra-wide cabin design, passengers on board are offered unparalleled comfort in both cabins, with Business Class fully flat beds and spacious seats in Economy.