Qatar Airways plans to open a further 10 new routes this year as it continues to expand its network in defiance of a blockade of its home base by Gulf neighbours.

Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker revealed the plans Monday after the launch of airline’s latest new route to the Australian capital of Canberra and said the airline would begin revealing names from next month.

The new destinations are in addition to a slew of routes already announced for 2018 and which include  Pattaya, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia;  Thessaloniki and Mykonos, Greece ;  and Cardiff, Wales.

Al Baker vowed last year to continue to expand Qatar’s network after  Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and reduced access in what he labelled an illegal and unprecedented blockade.

The 2018 expansion comes after the airline opened 11 new routes in 2017, most of them after the blockade of Qatar. It also began expanding frequencies to some of those destinations.

The blockade has not significantly affected the airline’s routes to Europe and Australia, where Al Baker estimates it adds 10 to 15 minutes flying time.

But it has taken its toll on the Qatar’s bottom line and he told reporters in Canberra  it was poised to announce a loss.

This comes after Qatar produced its best annual results in its history in 2017 with a $US5414m profit, up 21.7 percent on the previous year.

“Qatar Airways will announce a loss because I lost mature destinations,’’ Al Baker said, noting the mature routes were being replaced with growth destinations such as Canberra that would not immediately make money.

“This is a long-term investment and a commitment,’’ he added.

However, the Qatar chief said his nation’s adversaries had failed to achieve what they wanted from the blockade – regime change – and reiterated his vow that “Qatar Airways will keep on growing, we’ll keep on expanding”.

“And the Qatari people will always stand one inch higher with pride, dignity and, of course, safeguarding our sovereignty,” he said

Qatar was launched in 1997 with five old planes with an average fleet age of more than 22 years.  Under Al Baker, it  has grown to be one of the world’s top airlines serving more than 150 destinations across six continents.

It now has 200 aircraft and an average fleet age of less than five years and more than 350 aircraft on order with Airbus and Boeing with a total catalogue price of $US92 billion. It will be the  global launch customer of the A350-1000 when it  gets the first of 37 aircraft on February 20.

New innovations include  “superfast” inflight internet and Al Baker said it was developing other products “which will again be a first in the industry”.

The Qatar chief also revealed the airline was working on a variation  of its impressive Qsuite to install in its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A380 superjumbos.

The airline showcased the business class suite on its Canberra inaugural and expects to have it on the route regularly by June.

Read our review of Qsuite

It currently has the Qsuite on 14 of its 56 Boeing 777s and it will be featured on four new aircraft to be delivered this year.

There is a retrofit program to add it to existing B777s that Al Baker said would take 18 months to complete.

But he said it would not be installed on the airlines A380s because of the curvature of the fuselage on the superjumbo’s upper deck or on its B787-9s because this would require the seat to be narrowed.

Instead, it is developing a new suite for the 787s which would have full privacy and would “not be very far away from the Qsuite” but would not allow four seats to be joined to create a “quad” family area.

“And then they will be retrofitted into the A380,’’ Al Baker  said “So the A380 product will again by upgraded to full privacy.”

Al Baker believes other airlines will find it difficult to build a business class seat that is better  than Qatar’s Qsuite, which rivals some airlines’ first class product.

Asked if business class seating had reached ts zenith, he said: “I really think that there will be no room anymore for improvement.

“The only improvement will be in technology, in how much you can digitise a product and how lightweight you can make it.

‘You know these seats are not very light and we always endeavour to have a product that is lighter on an aeroplane.

‘For example, the modified Qsuite that we are now looking at for our 777-X program will be at least 22 percent lighter than the current Qsuite.

“So in that way we are going to keep on improving but within the same envelope.”

He expected that other airlines would try to catch up in terms of seating but argued they would be unable to match Qatar’s culture of attention to detail and commitment by its staff.

On the airline’s plans for  Canberra, Al Baker said Qatar would look at the possibility of building a five-star hotel in the city if it could get land cheaply enough.

“We see the potential for more five-star room nights and Qatar Airways would like to bring one of the top brands to Canberra if we have been given appropriate real estate,’’ he said. “But, of course, I’m not going to write a big check for that real estate.’’

Al Baker said the airline was unable to fly direct from Canberra because the runway was not long enough to allow a fully-laden Boeing 777-300ER carrying enough fuel for the long flight to Doha to take off.

The airline had calculated the runway length would need to be minimum 4300m, he said.

Asked whether he would like to see non-stop Canberra-Doha flights, he  said: “Why not? We will look at every opportunity we have to fly direct because Qatar Airways’ strategy is always to fly point-to-point directly without going through busy or congested hubs anywhere in the network.’’

This is only Canberra Airport’s second international service and the first coming from as far away as the Middle East.

Airport boss Stephen Byron said the question of lengthening the runway could be addressed as part of the airport’s long-term master planning.

Steve Creedy travelled to Canberra as a guest of Qatar Airways.

Gulf carrier Qatar has been plugging its Qsuite as the bright star of premium travel, touting its patented design as closer to some competitors’ first class than traditional business class.

Fly it and you’ll quickly discover this is one case where reality reflects the hype.

Qsuite is spacious, private, well designed and packed with features aimed at making travel at the pointy end more comfortable and productive.

It is a genuine suite featuring a sliding privacy door and enough room to sprawl out comfortably, feet on the ottoman, without having to worry about swapping things around to make space.

Combine it with Qatar’s top-notch service, food and in-flight entertainment and the Doha-based airline clearly has a winner.

Read our ratings for Qatar

The two business class cabins on Boeing 777-300ERs featuring the Qsuite come in a one-two-one configuration with suites facing towards both the front and the rear  of the plane. This means those who dislike travelling backwards should be judicious in their seat choice.

In our case, Seat 11B was a forward-facing left-hand  window seat with two windows affording good outside views on the airline’s inaugural flight from Doha to Canberra via Sydney. It used the flight  to showcase the flagship product before moving the new daily service to a different business class seat.

Qsuites are expected to return to the route on a regular basis from June as the airline receives new aircraft fitted with the seat and retrofits others.

So what to expect on a Qatar B777-300ER equipped with Qsuites?

Expect a good start to your journey: there’s no fighting for overhead locker space here with plenty of room in the spacious stowbins. Watch your head though, they’re low.

It’s then just a case of settling in.

The suite is dominated by a giant, 21.5-inch high definition touch screen that is both crisp and responsive.

It  is complemented by a pair of decent noise-cancelling headphones to give a superior cinematic experience.

And there’s plenty to choose from: the latest version of Qatar’s Oryx system has some 3000 options and a good selection of movies that can be accessed by genre and include the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

The system is simple and intuitive when using the touch screen to navigate the big selection of games, music and information.

There was no wi-fi on our flight but Qatar is in the process of introducing it.

At 21.5 inches across,  the seat is not the widest in the sky but there’s no feeling of being  cramped.

There’s sufficient room between the sculpted privacy screen on one side of the seat and wide open space on the other.

Storage is not a problem either.

A generous secure storage compartment underneath the big padded armrest next to the seat holds the headphones and water and features a small bridge to hold smaller items such as glasses.

A wide countertop is big enough to cope with magazines, menu, s spare pillows and other bits and pieces.  Underneath is a lit shelf for parking laptops and tablets.

Initially, it didn’t look as if there was anywhere for shoes but there’s space next to the seat where they fit in snugly and are out of the way.

Seat controls are handily located and self-explanatory, except for the light switch. This looks as though it should control the overhead light but in fact for the lighting in the laptop shelf.

Variable seat controls allow you to recline or move the seat forwards and backward and adjust lumbar support. There are four presets: lie flat, fully upright, take-off and recline.

There’s also a do not disturb button that turns red when engaged and is white when not. That’s handy if you accidentally turn it on and do want to interact with cabin crew.

Options for charging devices include an illuminated USB port and a power point. A second USB port and a HDMI connection are around the corner.

The control console is easily accessible in the upright and recline positions but there is also a tethered touchscreen pad which hosts the main light and flight attendant call buttons.

This is difficult to access with the table fully deployed so get it out before eating if you think you may use it.

The table itself slides underneath the IFE monitor and is easy to use. It is in a fixed position when fully deployed but will still slide in and out when partially extended to allow you to leave the seat.  It doubles as a drinks holder when stowed.

The privacy door is manual and is easily pulled shut or opened. The seats are designed so travellers cannot see each other even with the door open unless they stand up.

Food and wine on Qatar are up there with the best and the presentation on the two flights involved in this exercise  was restaurant standard. It’s an on-demand system for ordering but Qatar’s attentive and personable cabin crew regularly asked if anything was needed.

Getting fed is simply a question of selecting what you want from the a la carte menu and ordering it it when you want.

Ditto for drinks.

The airline offers a choice of a brut or a rose Landon champagne as well as a selection of wines from around the globe and top-shelf spirits.

The trip to Canberra began with breakfast and the Emmental cheese omelette with chicken patty Lyonnaise potatoes, roasted tomato and chestnut mushrooms looked and tasted great. A small electronic candle in a basket was a nice touch.

Other choices included smoked halibut and mackerel rillettes with a horseradish dressing and a traditional Arabic breakfast.

There’s also a snack menu which on the Canberra inaugural included prawn cocktail crostini, duck spring rolls and a blue cheese croquette with pear chutney.

Dinner kicked off with dill marinated prawns with smoked salmon followed by Arabic spiced chicken with cinnamon spiced sauce, rice with minced lamb and golden roasted onions. It was washed down with a Laroche 2015 Chablis Premier Cru and followed by 15-year-old Glenfiddich.

Qsuite’s fully flat bed is 79 inches long and comes with a fitted mattress and two pillows.

The footwell is nicely proportioned so that even size 14 feet fit comfortably in the recline position.

A unique feature of Qsuite is centre seats that can be transformed into a double cabin with a double bed or a space for four people called a “quad”.   This allows families or other groups to socialise and dine together.

The bed was roomy enough for a big guy .  and generally comfortable.

The armrest drops down to accommodate people with wide shoulders who sleep on their back and there’s wriggle room for the more than 50 per cent who sleep on their side and for whom the two pillows are very welcome.

For this tall traveller, the seat’s headrest introduced a noticeable bump around shoulder blade level that the mattress did not completely smooth over. But that’s what pillows are for and they allowed a work-around.

Two air vents meant a good air flow and gave some individual temperature control.

Qatar supplies business class passengers with sleepwear from London’s The White company and a handsome amenities kit with socks, eye shades, earplugs and Castello Monte Vibiano products such as moisturiser.

Razors and toothbrushes are available in the four well-proportioned lavatories serving the business class cabins.  Time spent waiting for  the loo was minimal, even during the peak pre-landing period.

In all, the more than two years of research spent to arrive at Qsuite were well spent.

Qatar has moved the bar higher in the ongoing  race to re-invent business class with this  quality product.

Steve Creedy travelled to Doha as a guest of Qatar Airways.

A Saratov Airlines AN-148 has crashed near Argunovo, Russia killing all 65 passengers and 6 crew.

The 70-seat An-148 regional jet was en-route to Orsk when it vanished off the radar.

READ: World’s safest airlines 2018

The crash site is 80km south-east of Moscow.

Aviation-Safety.net reported that Flight 6W703 took off from runway 14R at Domodedovo Airport at 14:21 hours local time (11:21 UTC). The last contact on flight tracking website Flightradar24 was 14:27 hours.

According to Aviation Herald, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed flight 6W-703 crashed and was found near the village of Stepanovskoye in Ramensky district. Rescue forces including helicopters were dispatched on site.

It added that the Ministry reported that one of the black boxes has been found and was recovered.

Russia’s Interregional Transport Prosecution Office opened a criminal investigation into the crash verifying compliance with legislation, in particular, technical maintenance and dispatch of the aircraft.

BELOW: CCTV vision of crash impact

Saratov Airlines is based at Saratov Tsentralny Airport.

It was founded in 1931 and was part of Aeroflot.

Until 2013 it operated as Saravia.

In December 2013, Saratov Airlines, became the first Russian operator of Embraer E-Jets, with the arrival of two Embraer 195 114-seat aircraft.

In October 2015, Russian authorities sanctioned Saratov Airlines after a violation of security rules and suspend its rights to operate international flights for six months.

It operates mainly between Russian cities but also has destinations in Armenia and Georgia.

The AN-148 and its larger brother the AN-158 have not enjoyed sales success with only 59 ordered since 2005.

Part of the problem has been while the aircraft is built in Ukraine, most parts come from Russia.

There has been one other crash of an AN-148 in 2011 where 6 died on a pilot training mission.

Airfares would have to triple if aviation regulators were to re-certify aircraft to the reality of recent chaotic passenger evacuations.

The evacuation of the burning American Airlines Boeing 767 at Chicago airport in 2016 was a carbon copy of the accidents over the past few years with most passengers carrying their baggage with them.

Now the US crash investigator the NTSB has warned that something needs to be done about passengers taking their bags off in an emergency.

In its report on the Chicago crash, it has said that the US regulator the FAA has “not yet acted on a 2009 safety recommendation to revise related guidance (issued in 1988) to reflect the most recent industry knowledge on the subject based on research and lessons learned from relevant accidents and incidents.

“In addition, the FAA has not yet established a multidisciplinary working group, in response to a 2016 recommendation, to develop best practices to resolve recurring evacuation-related issues. It is time for the FAA to emphasize the importance of ensuring that flight and cabin crew communications can facilitate safe and effective decision-making and action during emergency situations,” the NTSB said.

Passengers are risking their lives, and those of fellow passengers, with the obsession of taking cabin baggage with them in an emergency.

Aircraft are certified on the basis of all passengers off in 90 seconds with half the exits out of use.

READ UK report slams seat spacing

The stark reality is it takes three times longer – and sometimes more – with passengers slowing the process by grabbing bags.

In the evacuation certification tests, the “passengers” are aircraft manufacturer employees who know the drill and they have no baggage.

If regulators were to re-certify the long-range Boeing 777 to the reality of what actually happens, the 550 exit limit aircraft would have to be recertified to just 183 passengers – half its typical load.

But for smaller aircraft such as the widely used A320 – and Boeing 737 – which has an exit limit of 195 and a typical configuration of 180 mostly economy passengers the impact would be devastating with a new limit of just 65.

That would mean a tripling of airfares to make the aircraft economically viable.

The impact on the industry and the world economy would be devastating but something needs to be done before hundreds die in an aircraft evacuation.

And authorities are already stirring. Last year after a British Airways incident at Las Vegas the highly respected British Civil Aviation Authority issued a blunt warning to its airlines: Stop passengers taking their hand luggage off with them in an emergency evacuation!

This is how passengers evacuated in the Airbus A380 certification test.

The airline industry needs to take decisive action, perhaps by locking overhead lockers for takeoff and landing, to prevent passengers taking their baggage with them after a plane crash.

Or an extreme measure would be to ban carry-on baggage other than a small bag such as a backpack.

It is sobering to consider that it quite often takes 40 minutes to board a plane because of passenger/ baggage congestion.

Not only does taking your baggage dramatically slow the process, there’s a distinct possibility that the bags with protruding metal parts will snag and then deflate the escape slides — rendering them useless.

And in the scramble to get overstuffed bags out of lockers, passengers may be knocked out and the aisle blocked for precious seconds.

There is also the very real prospect of passengers jumping on to the escape slide with their bag and knocking themselves or another passenger out, or even killing them.

Duty-free alcohol is even more lethal because if the bottle breaks there is flammable liquid everywhere, not to mention broken glass.

In a related development, passengers in these disasters are turning them into social media events by taking video and pictures and then trying to be the first to upload the images to Facebook or Twitter.

Tragically, it will take a disastrous evacuation with multiple deaths for the industry to act.