Qatar Airways (Doha) has announced that Philadelphia will be the first destination it will fly to in the USA using the new Airbus A350-900.

Qatar Airways plans to begin operating an A350-900 on its daily service from Doha’s Hamad International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport from January 1, 2016. The date will coincide with the launch of services to Los Angeles, one of three new Qatar Airways destinations in the US for 2016.

Starting on March 1, 2016 and March 16, 2016, the A350-900 will also fly on one daily flight to New York (JFK) and also to Boston; meaning three of Qatar Airways’ US destinations will all be served by the A350-900.

The introduction of the state-of-the-art A350 on the daily flights between Doha and Philadelphia brings an additional capacity of more than 9% compared to the Boeing 777-200 LR which is being operated on the route. Qatar Airways’ daily capacity to Philadelphia will grow from 259 seats on the Boeing 777-200 LR to 283 seats on the A350-900 aircraft.

Qatar Airways’ A350-900s feature 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80” inch fully flat horizontal beds, and a 247 seating capacity in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout.

All seats in Business Class have direct aisle access with 17” HD in-flight entertainment screens. Economy Class features 10.6” in-flight entertainment screens and more space for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design.

Qatar Airways now operates 47 passenger flights a week between the United States and Doha – daily from New York, Washington (Dulles) DC, Chicago (O’Hare), Houston (Bush Intercontinental), Philadelphia, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and five flights a week from Miami. In addition to this, over the next few months, Qatar Airways’ US network will grow further with new routes Los Angeles  January 1, 2016), Boston (March 16, 2016), Atlanta (July 1, 2016) and a second daily flight to New York from March 1, 2016.

Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Pictured in action at the first destination of Frankfurt is the first copy, Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006).

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show: