en.Wedoany.com Reported - Qatar Airways has undergone significant capacity adjustments for its fleet of eight Airbus A380s this year. Due to capacity reductions caused by the 2026 Iran War, the entire fleet was grounded for two months; currently, five aircraft have resumed commercial operations, but their utilization frequency remains far below previous levels. According to ch-aviation fleet data, these eight four-engine widebody aircraft have an average age of 10.5 years, all configured in a three-class layout with a capacity of 517 passengers.
Despite the gradual recovery of the fleet, Qatar Airways is not currently using the A380 to operate US routes. The airline only deployed the A380 for the inaugural flight of the newly launched Doha to Atlanta route on June 1, 2016. According to reports from the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), upon arrival at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, passengers had to disembark via stairs and transfer to shuttle buses due to the lack of an assigned gate. Qatar Airways' then-CEO Akbar Al Baker accused Delta Air Lines of being responsible for the incident, but Delta Air Lines did not acknowledge the claim.
On routes to the United States, Qatar Airways prefers to use the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 series twin-engine widebody aircraft. Among these, the New York JFK route is the most frequent, with three daily flights from the Doha hub, including two operated by Boeing 777-300ERs and one by Airbus A350-900. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has two daily flights using the A350-1000, aligning with the interline network of Oneworld alliance partner American Airlines. Washington Dulles Airport has daily flights operated by Boeing 777s, supplemented by three additional weekly A350-900 services. Additionally, the A350-1000 serves the Miami route daily, with one to two flights per day based on demand.
Other US routes also feature high-frequency services. The Houston route primarily uses the A350-1000, with a similar situation for Chicago. Seattle has daily flights operated by Boeing 777s. Boston and Los Angeles each have six weekly flights, operated by A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, respectively. The airline also uses the A350-900 to fly to Atlanta and San Francisco four times per week.
Currently, Qatar Airways deploys the resumed A380s primarily to serve three major intercontinental hub destinations, with two daily flights each. These destinations include Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand, London Heathrow Airport in the UK, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, all of which are hubs suitable for large four-engine widebody aircraft like the A380. Heathrow Airport is also the main hub for its Oneworld partner British Airways.
