Qatar Airways has taken delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350-1000 as the aircraft’s global launch customer.

“Qatar Airways always demands the very best for its customers, so it is right that we are the first airline in the world to take delivery of the very first Airbus A350-1000,” said Akbar Al Baker, group CEO of Qatar Airways. “This remarkable state-of-the-art aircraft will be the first of 42 to be flown on our expanding global route network. It will become a firm part of the Qatar Airways fleet, making us the biggest operator in the world of this aircraft type and maintain our status as flying one of the youngest fleets in the sky, with an average age of just five years.”

The A350-1000 is 23 feet longer than the A350-900 and is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. Like the A350-900, more than 70% of the A350-1000’s airframe is made from composites, titanium and aluminium alloys. The A350-1000 also features a new, six-wheel main landing gear and wings that are 4% larger.

“It is a huge source of pride for Airbus to deliver the very first A350-1000 to our launch customer Qatar Airways,” said Fabrice Brégier, president and chief operating officer of Airbus. “Bringing major advantages in fuel and cost efficiency along with unmatched passenger comfort, the A350-1000 is the ideal aircraft to showcase Qatar Airways’ legendary customer service. With its greater capacity compared to the A350-900, the newest widebody will play a major role on the carrier’s busiest long-haul routes and will contribute to strengthen their position at the forefront of the aviation industry.”

The airline will deploy the new aircraft on the Doha-London route later this month.

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of more than 200 aircraft, including two A319LRs, 39 A320s, seven A321-200s, 13 A330-200s, 13 A330-300s, four A340-600s, 21 A350-900s and nine A380s. The airline was also the global launch customer for the A350-900 in 2014.