MidEast's first 787 makes Doha-Dubai debut

Qatar Airways on Tuesday began commercial services of its new Boeing 787 aircraft with Doha to Dubai becoming the Dreamliner’s debut route.

The state-of-the-art aircraft is being deployed on four daily rotations between the two cities with Qatar Airways the Boeing 787 launch customer in the region.

Flight QR 106 took off from Doha International Airport on Tuesday morning for the one hour journey to Dubai.

The 787 services to and from the UAE will target peak travel times in a combination of morning, afternoon and night flights to Dubai, the airline said in a statement.

The new operation comes less than a week after the  aircraft’s delivery flight from Seattle to Doha, where it has since spent a few days positioned at Doha International Airport giving staff an opportunity to tour the aircraft before it enters commercial service.

Qatar Airways has orders for 60 Dreamliners. The next four 787s are due to join the fleet by the end of December.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the maiden commercial route marked yet another exciting achievement for the award-winning airline.

“Today signifies an exciting and hugely anticipated occasion for Qatar Airways, as well as the global aviation industry," he said.

"It is with enormous pride for my country, our employees and myself that we are embarking on another momentous achievement for our award-winning airline with the introduction of 787 passenger flights. The Dreamliner is yet another first for Qatar Airways, our customers and for the Middle East aviation industry."

He added: “Dubai is one of our most popular routes and we felt it important to give our passengers in and around our neighbouring city an opportunity to experience the comforts of our new plane before it begins long-haul commercial services."

Following the 787s debut on the Doha to Dubai route, it will then move to one of the airline’s five daily flights to London Heathrow.

As more 787s join the fleet over the course of the next few weeks, the aircraft will be inducted on other long-haul routes including Zurich, Frankfurt and Delhi.