Qatar Airways commenced non-stop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Hamad International Airport in Doha on January 1 and celebrated the service by a launch gala on January 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in an event that included a performance by Mariah Carey.

“Los Angeles is one of the great centres of world aviation and will become a vital component in our expanding global network,” said Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker.

Besides providing passenger service, he emphasized that the new Los Angeles service results in increased cargo capacity on new Boeing 777 aircraft. Qatar Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world.

The new route comes as the airline continues to expand and enhance services across the United States and the world. Los Angeles is the 8th US destination for Qatar, with new services planned to Boston on March 16 and Atlanta on June 1, and a second daily flight scheduled to commence from New York’s JFK Airport in April. In addition to new routes, the airline has brought the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 XWB to North America, where it now flies a daily non-stop service to and from Philadelphia.

The service compliments another service also commencing on January 19 by Qatar Airways Cargo that will increase its network of freighters to six destinations in the Americas. The Dallas/Fort Worth service utilizes Boeing 777Fs that will fly two times a week to Dallas from Liege, Belgium. This dedicated freighter service will increase the 400 tonnes of export cargo capacity per month. Cargo had been previously flown in the belly hold of passenger aircraft.

Utilizing seven Airbus A330 freighters, eight Boeing 777Fs and one Boeing 747F, Qatar Airways Cargo is the world’s third-largest international cargo carrier. It currently services more than 45 freighter destinations worldwide via its Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 destinations globally on 173 aircraft. In December, the carrier became the first airline to fly the Airbus A350 to the United States; with eight A350s in its fleet, Qatar is the first to fly A350 aircraft to three continents: North America, Europe and Asia.

Besides the additional services to and from the United States, Qatar Airways is adding additional service worldwide: daily service to Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, from February 2; daily service to Sydney from March 1; eight times weekly to Birmingham, UK, from March 30; and daily service to Adelaide, Australia from May 2.

“But this is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Al Baker to journalists attending the Los Angeles press conference. “We will announce 12 more services in the next few months.”

Los Angeles fits well into plans for Qatar Airways, since LAX is its first US West Coast gateway. “Los Angeles is a huge commercial centre,” he emphasized. “That was imperative to us flying here.”

Currently, the carrier has US$70 billion in aircraft orders with Airbus and Boeing. “We have the second-largest operation of 787s after ANA,” Al Baker said.

He expressed dissatisfaction with Qatar’s alliance with US carriers Delta and American Airlines and said that the airline would leave the Oneworld Alliance if the carrier feels threatened to stay in the alliance or the alliance does not meet Qatar’s high standards of service.

“We are the largest shareholder of IAG and are doing major acquisitions,” he said. “My mantra is to make Qatar Airways second to none.”

Candid but careful not to reveal any details regarding cargo growth, Al Baker revealed that the 777 flight to LAX makes it possible for Qatar Airways to maximize belly space for both cargo and passenger customers.

“Using such aircraft is making us the third-largest cargo operator in the world,” he said. “It is not vis-a-vis the number of airplanes we are flying, but the volume of cargo we carry. This has brought us from a ranking of 20th to 3rd in three years.”

He added that flexibility in loading is key to the carrier's success. He also revealed that Qatar has a number of Airbus and Boeing freighters in the pipeline. “Currently we are using A330 freighters for feeder traffic and 777Fs for long-range and long-haul flights,” he said.

In addition, last August, Qatar Airways Cargo added its first 747 freighter to its fleet with a flight from Doha to Hong Kong. The addition of this aircraft to its fleet of aircraft enables Qatar to grow demand for outsized freight transportation as well as accommodate cargo needs in the belly hold of its passenger aircraft.

While Qatar Airways is utilizing A350 aircraft on some routes, including New York, Frankfurt, Munich and Singapore, Al Baker said that the carrier is not planning to fly A350s to LAX. “Los Angeles is beyond the range for the A350,” he said.

However, when Qatar Airways takes delivery of the A350-1000 in 2017, Qatar Airways may begin flying the aircraft to LAX, he said.

Besides Qatar Airways Cargo, Cargolux and Etihad Airways now utilize HIA for their cargo operations. HIA’s cargo terminal, which opened in 2014, is built over 77,000 square metres across two levels and comprises a separate aircraft parking apron with 11 widebody aircraft stands, as well as 42 loading docks, a live animal centre, a dangerous goods area and a perishable storage area.

A second, even larger cargo terminal is planned that would allow Qatar Airways Cargo to handle 4.4 million tonnes of cargo per year, an increase from its current 1.4 million tonne capacity. The new cargo terminal is scheduled to open in 2018.

By Karen E. Thuermer

Correspondent | Washington