Qatar Airways reaffirms commitment to JetSuite and JetSuiteX expansion
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker and JetSuite Inc founder and CEO Alex Wilcox yesterday reaffirmed their commitment at the Farnborough International Airshow to expanding JetSuite and JetSuiteX, in order to bring even more air travel choice to passengers.
In April this year, Qatar Airways took a minority stake in leading US private aviation company JetSuite and its sibling company, JetSuiteX. The Qatar Airways investment will enable faster expansion of the JetSuite fleet and its ability to reach new destinations, including the potential to bring the semi-private model to additional US regions, the Doha-based carrier has said in a statement.
The JetSuiteX Embraer 135 jet is one of six state-of-the-art aircraft displayed this week by Qatar Airways at the Farnborough Airshow. The luxuriously reconfigured aircraft offers 30 comfortable Business Classstyle seats. It offers a soft private jet interior, along with extra soundproofing, power outlets at every seat and free messaging Wi-Fi, offering passengers a premium and comfortable travel experience.
Al-Baker said, “Our investment in JetSuite and JetSuiteX is one that we are extremely excited about, and it is a privilege to display the JetSuiteX Embraer 135 at the Farnborough Airshow, providing spectators withthe chance to see this state-of-theart aircraft up close. Qatar Airways and JetSuite share many of the same core values. We look forward to seeing JetSuite’s private aviation business continue to grow and flourish, and offer even more air travel choice of destinations on the US West Coast and beyond.”
Wilcox added, “On behalf of JetSuite, we are thrilled to showcase our JetSuiteX Embraer 135 aircraft here on the world stage at the Farnborough Airshow. With the recent investment from Qatar Airways, we are looking forward to taking both our JetSuite private charter and JetSuiteX semi-private scheduled service brands to new heights and introducing these premium air travel experiences to new markets.”
The Qatar Airways investment in JetSuite will help fuel the growth of JetSuite’s private aviation business, which currently focuses on light and very light jets. The investment extends to JetSuiteX, the sibling company to JetSuite, further accelerating the expansion of its acclaimed semi-private air service on the US West Coast and beyond.
JetSuiteX fills a niche in underserved short-haul markets and small airports, and enjoys a Net Promoter Score over 90, higher than the major US airlines. JetSuiteX operates its fleet of Embraer 135 aircraft from private terminals in California and Nevada, with no lines, no waiting and no stress, at a price competitive with commercial travel. The Qatar Airways investment will enable faster expansion of this fleet and the ability to reach new destinations, including the potential to bring the semiprivate model to additional US regions.
This investment also further supports Qatar Airways’ investment strategy, which already includes investments in several other international carriers, such as International Airlines Group, LATAM Airlines Group, Cathay Pacific and Air Italy, the statement notes.
Qatar Airways made headline news this week at the Farnborough International Airshow 2018, with a number of highprofile announcements and award wins. The airline picked up four prestigious awards at this year’s 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards held on Tuesday, being named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ for the sixth time and third consecutive year; ‘Best Airline In The Middle East’, ‘Best First Class Airline Lounge’ and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite.
On the opening day of the airshow, Qatar Airways finalised a purchase agreement with Boeing for five Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft to join the airline’s Cargo division. Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, unveiled its latest aircraft, the Gulfstream G500 jet, which will join the fleet later this year.
The airline also committed to purchase five new CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulators and two CAE 500XR Series flight training devices for the Boeing 777X and the 737 MAX from the global leader in training, CAE.