Aircraft
Qatar Airways Reintroduces A380s as 19 A350s Sit Grounded
The Qatari national carrier plans to return five Airbus A380s to service to compensate for capacity lost to the grounding of 19 A350s.
A Qatar Airways approaches Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in September 2016. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by airlines470)
A Qatar Airways approaches Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in September 2016. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by airlines470)

Qatar Airways plans to “reluctantly” reintroduce to temporary service five of its 10 grounded Airbus A380s due to what it calls a capacity shortage caused by its grounding of A350s, the company said Friday. Plans call for the airline to install the superjumbos on “key winter routes,” including London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports on December 15. A Qatar Airways A380 took to the skies for the first time in more than 18 months earlier this week, positioning the aircraft from Doha International Airport to Hamad International Airport.