Qatar Airways one of Boeings’ most highly-valued partners: Senior Exec

QNA Doha President of Boeing Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) Kuljit Ghata-Aura affirmed the strength of the partnership between the American company...

QNA DohaPresident of Boeing Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) Kuljit Ghata-Aura affirmed the strength of the partnership between the American company and Qatar, adding that Qatar Airways was one of Boeings most highly valued partners.Speaking exclusively to Qatar News Agency on the sidelines of his participation in Qatar Economic Forum Powered by Bloomberg, Ghata-Aura said that the company’s partnership with the state of Qatar spans over nearly two decades, with 264 employees working in Qatar and reflecting Boeing’s commitment to supporting Qatar National Vision 2030. He described the recent announcements with Qatar Airways for the new 777X freighter and 737-10 aircraft as two significant deals, adding that the company was proud to support Qatar Airways in its 25th anniversary year. He noted that Boeing’s partnership with Qatar Airways was established in May 2006, and that Qatar Airways now operates an extensive fleet of Boeing passenger and cargo airplanes. He said that, despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic, the Group has demonstrated exceptional resilience during the crisis, and stressed that Boeing will support Qatar Airways as it reopens destinations and adds new routes to its network.He added that Qatar Airways latest orders for 777-8 freighters and 737-10 passenger aircraft are significant for Boeing, and will the carrier with one of the most advanced and most efficient passenger and cargo fleets in the region. He also said that these new aircraft will position the Qatar Airways for significant and sustainable growth in the future.The Boeing executive noted that the company has been a research partner of the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, since 2013. He added that the company have co-hosted six machine learning and data analytics symposiums to date. He also said that the Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG), has been one of Boeing’s other important academic partners. He highlighted that, through Boeings support, students of the college have access to new programs and tools to assist in the development of the Qatari aerospace sector and to encourage young Qataris to develop careers in aviation. He added that Boeing has been collaborating with research, education and government institutions in Qatar on a range of initiatives that promote STEM education, as well as entrepreneurship, with over 5,000 students benefiting from the community engagement programs organized with the support of INJAZ Al-Arab.On Boeing’s sustainability efforts, he highlighted that achieving net zero carbon emissions is the number one challenge the aviation industry, and the world, is facing today. He added that Boeing supports and aligns with the aviation industry goals for carbon-neutral growth from 2020 going forward and commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.“Designing and building more advanced products with greater fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions is a key tenet of Boeings business. Since 2003, we have invested $60 billion in new technologies to improve efficiency. This investment helps meet aviations environmental goals and its business needs,” Ghata-Aura said.He also maintained that Boeing has a multi-faceted strategy based on three pillars to achieve the goal — continued innovation in future airplane technology, deployment of modernized air traffic management infrastructure, and the scale-up of production and use of sustainable aviation fuel.