Qatar Airways’ new Airbus A380 has made its maiden flight - with a bar and lounge in business class

On October 13th, Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 took flight for the first time, a number of months after the scheduled date of June 17th. The premiere route of the Airbus A380 is London Heathrow-Doha with a daily departure, a second departure will be added in December. The Paris-Doha route will soon also be operated by the Airbus A380. Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 has three classes on board - 8 suites in first class, 48 seats in business class, and 461 seats in economy class.

Qatar Airways’ first class on the Airbus A380 

There are eight suites in first class, which is positioned at the front of the upper floor, and consists of two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seat is considered to be the widest in the industry at 23 inches (33.03 inches when the seat is reclined and the armrests become part of the seat) and has also been purchased by Singapore Airlines. The seat has a legroom (seat pitch) of 63.1 inches, and is 79 inches long when completely reclined as a 16-inch ottoman becomes part of the seat.

The seat in Qatar Airways’ first class on the Airbus A380, with ottoman for visitors In front of the seat is a 26 inch screen. The remote control to the Thales entertainment system is located in the armrest, and the entire menu is displayed on the remote control through which you can navigate amongst the various titles. The screen is the largest in the industry. If you sit in one of the middle seats there is a boundary that can raised and lowered to provide privacy from your neighbour or when sleeping during the night. There is also a small separator on the aisle side of the seat. There are no overhead compartments in first class, instead your hand luggage is kept under the ottoman in front of the seat, or alternatively in the private closet.

The seat reclined in Qatar Airways’ first class on the Airbus A380 BusinessClass was at the launch of the new seat in Berlin in March. Our opinion, when we tested the seat at the launch, was that the design made ​​the biggest impression. The colour choice and the seat design creates a very relaxed and harmonious atmosphere. The large width of the seat when it is reclined also makes the seat very handy for those who toss and turn in their sleep. We also noted the seat was very quiet. The motor for the seat functionality was minimal, which is an advantage considering how quiet the Airbus A380 is as an aircraft.

Qatar Airways' business class on the Airbus A380 

The seat is basically the same as the one found on Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is flown to Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. There are 48 seats on board, 12 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, with a legroom of 52 inches. 48 business class seats is relatively low for a large aircraft like an A380. The seat becomes fully flat when reclined, with a bed length of 80 inches (203 cm). There is also a 17cm LCD screen in the seat. Qatar Airways continues to use the ORYX in-flight entertainment system, albeit with a slightly improved design and functionality.

The seat in Qatar Airways’ business class on the Airbus A380 There is also a bar in business class where you can order in-flight drinks, cocktails and snacks. The bar is located upstairs, just behind business class, and is also available for passengers travelling in first class. There is also a lounge area with sofas at the bar.

Bar for passengers in business class and first class

Qatar Airways' Economy Class on the Airbus A380

The seat is in essentially the same as before, however, the screen is slightly larger, at 10.6 inches. In total there are 461 economy class seats on board, which means that the total number of seats on the aircraft amounts to 517.

Qatar Airways' Airbus A380