First-class may be going the way of the Dodo (becoming less and less distinguishable from business class), but private jets appear here to stay.
To that end, Qatar Executive – a subsidiary of Qatar Airways – recently celebrated the order of a lavish new jet which will next year be added to their private jet roster.
“Today’s showcase of the #G700 in Doha marks one year to the delivery of the aircraft to #QatarExecutive in 2022,” the airline announced last week.
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Equipped with the all-new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and an advanced high-speed wing design, the G700 is able to fly at record-breaking speed and range with what has been described as “outstanding” environmental efficiency.
The G700 will form part of Qatar Executive’s state-of-the-art fleet of long-range and ultra-long-range aircraft. Qatar Executive has ordered 10 of the world’s largest business jets, and will take delivery of the very first aircraft off the Gulfstream assembly line in Georgia, U.S. in 2022.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We take great pride in the expansion of Qatar Executive throughout the ongoing pandemic. The arrival of the Gulfstream G700 in Doha emphasises our position as one of the leading business jet aircraft service provider in the Middle East and around the world.”
“As the global launch customer for this technologically-advanced jet, we look forward to welcoming the G700 into Qatar Executive’s fleet in 2022 and continuing to set new standards in air travel for years to come.”
“As a launch customer, we are also proud to reaffirm our commitment to addressing climate change and other environmental impacts through the addition of the technologically advanced G700 to our fleet.”
Qatar Executive, a fleet of first class jets, created in 2009, caters to global business travellers. Last year Qatar Airways introduced a new feature to this Executive program, which it calls The Diamond Agreement.
An “Unparalleled Private Jet Travel Programme,” Qatar Executive’s new Diamond Agreement offers maximum flexibility at industry leading pricing. How? Customers are able to pre-purchase flight time at fixed-hourly rates on state-of-the-art long-range and ultra-long-range private jets.
“The Diamond Agreement is precisely tailored to the individual customer’s needs and requirements, offering a truly unique flying experience.”
To join this program, customers purchase a minimum of 50 hours flight time, without any associated membership fees. The all-inclusive and fixed-hourly rates cover both flight hours and taxi time.
Designed to simplify private jet travel, pre-purchased Diamond Agreement hours have no minimum annual usage and no maximum carry-over, making the Diamond Agreement program unrivalled in terms of its flexibility. Qatar Executive’s customers are also offered guaranteed availability for reservations booked from just 72 hours in advance.
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Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said of the agreement: “As part of Qatar Airways Group, Qatar Executive offers an exceptional travel experience for private jet customers. With the Diamond Agreement, we can now offer even more flexible and bespoke travel options for Qatar Executive passengers, who can continue to expect our high levels of service and safety onboard our state-of-the-art aircraft.”
But how much, exactly, does it cost to fly on Qatar Executive?
When DMARGE contacted Qatar Airways they were unable to provide any particular pricing range/options for Qatar Executive “because the offering is all price upon application.”
Qatar Executive’s services and price list, which outlines the price of everything from “baggage pet handling” ($158) to “lavatory service” ($165), starts to give you somewhat of an idea of what you might be up for.
However, we’re not the first sleuths to try and figure this out.
According to Insider, Qatar Executive’s Gulfstream G500 costs around $160,000 to fly from New York to London. We imagine the G700 will cost something similar (or more).
The G500 can seat 13 passengers and can travel 5,200 miles on a full tank, which means it could fly non-stop from Hong Kong to London.
“It has high-speed WiFi, a satellite phone, a coffee maker, a fridge, and even an oven,” Insider reports.
Read more about Qatar Executive (and the “flat hourly rate” payment option) here. In the meantime, we’ll continue wondering how much the G700 would cost to charter…