Qatar Airways has finally completed acceptance of its first Boeing 787-8, around six weeks later than expected.
The airline completed title transfer of 787 registration A7-BCB (MSN 38320) on 5 October, which is the first of 30 General Electric GEnx-powered 787s it has on firm order. Qatar has an additional 30 options and intends to operate a mix of 787-8s and -9s.
The first 787 is understood to have been positioned to Victorville for interior work prior to returning to Seattle for a formal hand-over to the airline. Qatar Airways expects it will be at least another month before the 787 arrives in Doha.
When Qatar Airways displayed its first 787 at Farnborough in July it expected delivery to take place by the end of August to enable services to begin in September. However deliveries have been delayed due to unspecified technical issues.
Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker recently expressed his frustration that the "creeping delivery date" was hampering the airline's growth plans.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
