The first Qatar Airways A350-1000 aircraft arrives, to be used on London Heathrow

On Tuesday Qatar Airways received its first (and the world’s first) A350-1000 at the Airbus factory in Toulouse. 

This makes Qatar Airways the first airline worldwide to operate an A350-1000.  The airline has ordered a total of 37 A350-1000 and after a delay of a few months they are finally here.

With 327 seats there is a seat increase of 44 compared to the shorter A350-900. It will be the first Airbus to feature the new Qsuite Business Class product which has so far been installed on 15 of Qatar’s Boeing 777 aircraft.

As well as having advanced air system technology, renewing the air every two to three minutes, the A350-1000 claims to have the quietest cabin of any twin-aisle aircraft.

Qatar Airways says that:

“The A350-1000 is the first aircraft to systematically offer internet connectivity, providing passengers with a global broadband connection, a high-bandwidth fibre optics delivering high-definition video to passengers, cameras installed on the tail and belly of the aircraft that provide passengers with a 360° outside view throughout the flight and advanced design technologies that contribute to fuel consumption, which is 25 per cent lower than other aircraft in the same category.”

The first A350-1000 flight will be on the Heathrow to Doha route as QR15 on 24th February.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2023)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.