Qatar Airways CEO Badar Al Meer reaffirmed his commitment to the Airbus A380 in Qatar’s fleet today. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow, Al Meer noted that times have changed, and the superjumbo remains the best product for routes where airports are restricted.

Qatar’s A380s are staying for the long haul

A new CEO brings a new perspective, and Al Meer’s appointment as CEO of Qatar Airways is no different. The new chief stands in stark contrast to his predecessor, Akbar Al Baker, who often provided outspoken opinions on all sorts of aviation topics.

Al Meer, on the other hand, is more softly spoken, choosing his words carefully and often avoiding ‘poking the bear’ with his statements. Today, Simple Flying had the opportunity to chat with the CEO on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow; naturally, there was one key question on our minds.

During the pandemic, Akbar Al Baker said that buying the Airbus A380 was Qatar Airways’ ‘biggest mistake.’ He made it clear that he was keen to see the back of these aircraft as soon as new widebodies were available to replace the capacity.

Even as recently as the Paris Air Show in 2023, Al Baker maintained the A380 would not be staying long term. But what does Al Meer think about the superjumbo? He told us,

“His Excellency, maybe he gave this comment years ago based on the situation of the industry at that time, but today it’s different.”

More specifically, Al Meer noted that where airports restrict capacity, it absolutely makes sense to use the A380. This summer, it is flying to airports including Bangkok, Heathrow, Perth, Sydney, and Paris. Before the pandemic, the superjumbo also touched points including Guangzhou, Melbourne, and Frankfurt, although it’s not clear if or when these will come back.

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Return Of The Superjumbo: Qatar Airways To Resume Doha-Paris Airbus A380 Flights

It is one of five destinations to see the quadjet.

Improving the Airbus A380

Al Meer revealed that there had been a plan in place to exit the Airbus A380 from the fleet this year. However, in discussion with the commercial, finance, and planning teams, it is now planned to stay for longer.

With a commitment to keeping the A380 for longer, Al Meer noted that the airline is currently assessing improvements for the type. Specifically, he admitted that the WiFi onboard was not the best, something that we also experienced on recent flights with the type. As such, bringing this up to current standards is a high priority.

“We know that, unfortunately, on A380s that we operate in Qatar Airways, the WiFi is not as fast or as strong on the other aircraft, so the first project that we will undertake immediately is to upgrade the WiFi service on the A380.”

With the airline revealing the newest iteration of its QSuite premium product yesterday, could we see an improved cabin on the A380? For now, Al Meer is staying on the fence about this, saying that,

“We’re discussing this internally to see how we can address this.”

Qatar still has three of its A380s in storage, which have been there since the pandemic. Whether the airline is committed enough to bring these back into service remains to be seen, but for the eight already flying with the carrier, it seems there is a bright future ahead.