Qatar Airways is known for its industry-leading business class and sprawling and stately Doha hub. However, its most luxurious product is one most customers will never see.
Qatar Executive is a private jet charter division of the airline that the general public will likely never experience. Many of the clients are either members of or tangentially connected to the royal family of Qatar, although anyone with enough money can charter a jet.
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During a ceremony at the Paris Air Show on Monday, Qatar took delivery of its first Gulfstream G700 in the Executive fleet, an ultra-long-haul, ultra-luxurious private jet that the airline’s executive arm will offer clients.
Later in the day, TPG had the chance to look inside the G700, as well as an A319 converted to seat just 19 passengers, known as the ACJ319, for Airbus Corporate Jets.
Complete coverage from the 2023 Paris Air Show:
- The Paris Air Show, one of aviation’s biggest events, just began. What to expect
- The biggest aircraft order in aviation history and other cool things from day 1
- Big Boeing orders, helicopter aerial displays and other highlights from day 2
Qatar Airways’ Executive Gulfstream G700
After flying across the globe in this jet, you’ll never want to sit in Qatar’s Qsuite again.
Luxe seating: The ultimate guide to Qatar Qsuite
Theoretically, the jet can seat up to 19 passengers with room for 13 to sleep. However, chances are likely that many flights will involve fewer people, giving passengers their choice of spaces in the cabin to move around.
The jet that was delivered at the air show, the first of 10 on order, was arranged in a standard VIP configuration. A small living room-type area toward the front of the plane, which can be separated from the rest of the cabin by a curtain, offers a couch facing a TV.
Behind that are four seats in a 1-1 layout facing each other. Behind were six seats in a 2-1 configuration, again facing each other, but this time across two fixed dining tables — the galley toward the front of the plane included a microwave in addition to the usual oven, offering more flexibility for catering options.
Finally, at the rear of the plane are two seats facing each other on one side, with a full-size bed on the other.
Throw in a lavatory behind that, in addition to one at the front cabin, and you have one of the most exclusive ways to fly. The jet was so new that Qatar representatives asked visitors to take their shoes off before coming on board.
There’s also a crew rest in the front for long-haul flights that require pilots to get some rest.
Qatar Airways’ Executive Airbus A319
If the Gulfstream is just too small for you, why not go for Qatar’s ACJ319 instead?
This jet can comfortably seat and sleep 19 and has a few different tiers of comfort across it. Needless to say, they’re all luxurious.
As you board and turn right, you walk down an aisle that can really be best described as a narrow hallway.
Toward the end of the hall, through a door on your left, there’s a master bedroom with an en-suite lavatory.
If you’re not actually that tired, you can watch the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall while you lie in bed. It even has an Apple TV connected.
Back in the aisle, walking toward the back of the plane brings you to the dining room, where a total of eight seats — two rows facing each other in a 2-2 configuration — surround two tables. These seats offer a deep recline but they aren’t quite lie-flat — although you wouldn’t need them to be.
That’s because in the next section, three rows of lie-flat seats in a 2-2 layout offer 12 bedding options. This jet is typically used for shorter flights than the Gulfstream, so it’s a solid option for a group looking to get some sleep — although you may want to call dibs on the bedroom.
The seats are similar to Qatar’s older business-class seats but with a few differences.
For instance, instead of a built-in entertainment screen, the seats have iPads mounted on holders, loaded with the latest movies and TV shows.
There’s a lavatory in the back for everyone who isn’t in the bedroom, along with two crew rest seats.
Every passenger in a Qatar Executive jet gets a Qatar amenity kit and pair of pajamas, just like in the airline’s business class.
While the Executive division is significantly smaller than the airline, it’s still impressive in scale: Qatar Executive has a fleet with 15 Gulfstream G650s, two Bombardier Global 5000s, and two Airbus ACJ319s. With the 10 G700s joining the fleet, chances are higher that you might see one of these ultra-luxurious jets at airports around the world.
