Qatar Airways is sending a brand new Airbus A350-900 to Cardiff Airport (CWL-EGFF) for the inaugural flight from Doha (DOH/OTHH).
Airbus A350-900 A7-ALU was delivered to Qatar Airways just 5 days ago and it will be the first aircraft to operate the new service connecting Wales to Qatar and beyond.
A7-ALU is currently en-route to Cardiff cruising at 40,000ft towards Wales as with an estimated arrival time of around 12:26. Its scheduled arrival is 12:50. The flight number is QTR323
Using the Airbus A350 on the inaugural route is widely seen as a hat-tip to Wales and the importance of Airbus to the Welsh economy. The wings for the A350 and all other Airbus commercial aircraft are made at Airbus UK’s facility in Broughton, North Wales. The wings are then flown by special Airbus Beluga aircraft to the final assembly facilities across Europe.
After the initial flight, the route will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which like the A350 is one of the most modern and advanced airliners in service.
Qatar Airways Airbus A350 is fitted with 36 flatbed seats with 180-degree recline in business class and 247 economy seats. The 787-8 has 22 flatbed seats with 180-degree recline and 232 economy seats. All seats have at-seat entertainment.
The service from Cardiff to Doha will operate daily from June 17th (5 days per week until then) and the 3440mile route will take around 7 hours. Normal routing will take the aircraft over Europe, Turkey and Iran.
