Doha, Qatar – Qatar Airways has today resumed its Boeing 787 services after a worldwide grounding of the aircraft in January. The airline’s first Boeing 787 to be redeployed operated flight QR116 from Doha to Dubai today at 1315 hrs.

The airline’s fleet of five Dreamliners was grounded earlier this year following a directive from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Akbar Al Baker Qatar Airways' chief executive officer, Jeffrey Johnson, president Boeing Middle East and David Silver Boeing’s deputy fleet chief were on board the airline’s Dreamliner 787.

Al Baker said: “I always said I would be the first to fly on Qatar Airways’ 787 once it returned to service, and I’m thrilled that our Dreamliner fleet is back in the skies, providing our passengers with an unparalleled level of service and comfort,” he said.

“After a setback that not only affected our own worldwide operations, but those of many carriers worldwide, we look forward to now deploying the Dreamliner on other key routes over the coming weeks.  

“I have always hailed the Dreamliner as the state-of-the-art aircraft destined to change the way people travel and I was delighted to be on board our first 787 to take to the air again.

“Throughout the grounding of our fleet we have worked closely with Boeing to monitor the situation and work towards getting our fleet up and running again.
 
“Safety has always been the number one priority for Qatar Airways and I have full confidence in the safety and security of this aircraft.”

Jeffrey Johnson, Boeing Middle East president, added: “Today’s flight is a tribute to the spirit of partnership, which led to the solution that made it possible.

"It is also testament to Qatar Airways’ continued support for the 787 Dreamliner program and to the strength of its relationship with Boeing.”

Over the next few weeks and months, Qatar Airways will launch scheduled flights to  new routes, including Salalah, Oman (May 22); Basra, Iraq (June 3); Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (August 20); and Chengdu, China (September 3), with many more start-ups to be announced.