Introduction
The fact that no one can discuss when we talk about air travel in the Gulf area is that Qatar Airways Company has put itself among the giants of the field. Though its relatively short lifetime, the company has realized great leaps in improving its performance and reputation. Having its headquarters in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, Qatar Airways Company operates a wide central network that links over 100 international destinations from Doha.
Its fleet is made up of more than 100 aircraft. The network nature of the company is reflected in that it operates services across Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Far East, South Asia, Middle East, North America, South America and Oceania, and was named Airline of the Year 2012 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. (1) This short paper is meant to discuss the history of the company and how it developed to become what it is now. History Acco rding to the site of the company on the web, Qatar Airways was established on 22 November 1993.
However, the actual service of flight did not start until January 20, 1994. When the company started working it used only one plane – a Boeing 767-200ER that was a private property for some members of the royal family of Qatar (2). The management of the company kept changing until it has now become managed by the government, who actually hold s fifty percent of the stakes of the company while the other fifty percent is shared by private investors.
Over the years from 1997 to 2012, the history of the company has gone through several stages of development and the size of the fleet and operating grown bigger and wider. New aircrafts like Airbus A300-600 and Airbus A320 have been introduced. However, the biggest growth took place in the year 2002 when the Government of Qatar withdrew from Gulf Air. The relation between, Qatar Airways and Airbus Company was supported in 2007 when Qatar Airways ordered 80 Airbus A350 planes, which then enabled th e company to make its first flight to the US when it began service to New York.
The size of working was further enlarged and improved with the ordering of 60 Boeing 787-8 and 32 Boeing 777s in 2007 (3). Then, Qatar Airways went its way towards increasing its fleet and its coverage of destination until it managed to complete the first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas in the world, which reached as far as the airport of Melbourne in Australia. Thus, the company managed to increase its size, its processes and its destination both on quantity and quality bases. Developments and achievements
When we consider the developments and achievements of Qatar Airways, we should not first mention the airlines freight branch (cargo). This part of the business required an order of three Boeing 777F. Using these, the company was able to handle 750,000 tonnes of cargo every year during its first development phase. In 2009, one of the planes of the company managed to carry out its first commercial passenger flight using a mixture of kerosene and synthetic, produced from natural gas, on its flight from London to Doha.
In addition, Qatar Airways was able to deservingly take the title of: “Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012” in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards (4). Over 18 million passengers worldwide cast their votes in the survey by the leading global airline industry audit. This was preceded by an elevation to third best airline in the world by in 2010. This all was crowned with retaining the award in 2012, which was a magnificent triumph to the company. Conclusion
At the closure of this essay, I would like to assert that the development of the company of Qatar Airways is a lesson that should be learned by everyone that is seeking success. The starting point can be very simple, but using good management and having belief in yourself can make miracles come true. From one plane to the biggest fleet, from a mere tiny company to the Airline of the year, is a story of struggle that is rewarded by success and good reputation.
That is what Qatar Airways stands out for me and for many others who appreciate achievements realized by the hardworking.
References:
- Wikipedia (2012): Qatar Airways, available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Qatar_Airways (obtained: 2012-11-10)
- Wikipedia (2012): Boeing 787 Dreamliner, available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Boeing_787_Dreamliner (obtained: 2012-11-11)
- SkyTrax (2012): Qatar Airways 5-Star Airline Ranking of Product and Service Quality, available: http://www. airlinequality. com/Airlines/QR. htm (obtained: 2012-11-11)
