RAJESH MISHRA

DOHA QATAR Airways will get five Boeing 787 Dreamliners this year, the first of which will be delivered in September and the next four between October and December, Boeing’s President for the Middle East Jeff Johnson has said.

Talking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of a Sohour function organised by Boeing at Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday, Johnson said, “The five Boeing 787 Dreamliners are part of Boeing’s deal with Qatar Airways to provide as many as 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners over the next several years.” “It was a historic moment to see a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner participate in an aerial display at the Farnborough international air show in England. It was for the first time that Boeing’s commercial plane was participating in the air show. Earlier, only defence aircraft would participate in the show,” Johnson remarked.

Responding to a query on reports about detection of some engine problems in the aircraft, Johnson said, “I have no idea about it. All I know is that our clients are very happy with its performance.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner is 20 percent fuel-efficient, which reduces its operating cost by 25 to 40 percent. The windows are 25 percent bigger than in normal commercial aircraft. Besides, it is 2000ft less pressured, which facilitates availability of more oxygen.” Johnson pointed out that 30 Boeing 777s had already been delivered to Qatar and 12 more ordered for would be delivered to Qatar Airways in course of time.

Responding to a query on Boeing relationship with Qatar Foundation, he said, “Boeing is likely to coordinate with Qatar Foundation and Qatar Science & Technology Park in the near future in three sectors including environmental research, computing research and pilot fatigue research.” Emphasising that Boeing’s relationship was getting stronger with Qatar in particular and the Middle East in general, Johnson said that the Middle East was the third largest market and there was immense potential for the aviation industry in the Middle East.

“As many as 2370 aircraft valued at $ 470 billion will be delivered to the region by 2031. The growth rate of the aviation industry in the Middle East is 70 percent against 60 percent in the rest of the world. The passenger growth is forecast to be 6.5 percent in the Middle East against 5 percent in the rest of the world in the next 20 years,” he pointed out.

Johnson further said, “The defence aircraft market is also expected to increase to 25 percent from the existing 18 percent in the Middle East in the coming years.” According to Johnson, Qatar’s Emiri Air Force was fond of Boeing planes and had two C-17 aircraft, which were used for airlifting passengers after devastating earthquake rocked Haiti a few years ago and in some other humanitarian services in the region.