Qatar set to speed up service entry for delayed second A350

The Doha-based airline got its first XWB at the very end of last year and began a daily Doha-Frankfurt route just over two weeks later replacing a B787 being used on the route. It expected its second early in February.

Sources in Doha say that the new aircraft could also be on the Frankfurt route from as early as next week.
According to Flightglobal news analysis Qatar delayed acceptance of its first A350 in December by a week due to “supplier issues,” and in mid-2014 refused to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 for several months because it was not happy with the quality of some cabin interiors. The news service said it is unclear what caused slippage on delivery of the second A350 which was expected several weeks ago, and Airbus and Qatar are not revealing details of the progress in the delivery process and why the aircraft has not been handed over earlier. It is, Flightglobal said, highly unusual not to allow more than a few days between acceptance of the aircraft and first scheduled flight.
Qatar’s CEO Akbar Al Baker is in Berlin next week for the ITB, the world’s largest travel and tourism show where is expected to reveal initial operating data for the A350 and to advertise the arrival of the second aircraft.