Can you read the article and answer the questions bellow .

The Case Study

Sustainability of Operations in Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is one of the few global airlines to have never stopped flying throughout this crisis. The airlines mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft helped it to develop a sustainable and adapted solution, allowing it to continue flying routes with less overall demand as it has a variety of aircraft it can select from to offer the right capacity in each market. Due to COVID-19s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market.

Environmentally conscious passengers can travel with the reassurance that Qatar Airways continuously monitors the market to assess both passenger and cargo demand to ensure it operates the most efficient aircraft on each route. Finding the right balance between passenger and cargo demand has enabled the airline to continue operating its full fleet of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft, helping take people home safely and providing reliable airfreight capacity to support global trade and the transport of essential medical and aid supplies.

Qatar Airways is the largest operator of A350 series aircraft and was the launch customer for both the A350-900 and A350-1000. With a total of 49 A350 variants in the current fleet at an average age of 2.5 years, and a seating capacity optimized for the current market, the A350 is perfectly positioned to lead the airlines rebuilding of its network. The 30 Boeing 787 aircraft in the Qatar Airways fleet also provide appropriate capacity to offer the right capacity on routes in Europe while markets recover. As the world prepares itself to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, Qatar Airways A350 fleet is the aircraft of choice for the most strategically important long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: Qatar Airways Group has a strong record of industry leadership on sustainable operations. We take our responsibilities to care for the environment seriously and sustainability is at the forefront of our business planning across the group, this is why we have an average fleet age of less than five years, one of the youngest in the world. Thanks to our strategic and diversified investment in our fleet, the viability of our operations has not been dependent on any specific aircraft type. This has enabled us to be one of the few global airlines to never stop operating during this crisis, carrying over two million passengers and in the process becoming the largest international airline in the world. Our fleet mix has enabled us to continue operating routes throughout this crisis ensuring we do not leave passengers stranded.

Qatar Airways was the first airline in the Middle East to secure accreditation to the highest level in the IATA Environmental Assessment Program. While its home and hub, Hamad International Airport, will be the first airport in the region to achieve a 4-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) rating as part of plans to expand its capacity to more than 53 million passengers annually by 2022.

Qatar Airways has further enhanced its onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline has introduced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew, which includes gloves, facemasks, safety glasses and a new protective gown that is fitted over their uniforms. A modified service that reduces interactions between passengers and the crew inflight has also been introduced.

To ensure travellers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before 31 December 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to 31 December 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.

Qatar Airways has a range of ongoing and recent initiatives that promote sustainability some of these sustainable initiatives are as follows:

Modern, fuel-efficient fleet of aircraft: Qatar Airways operates one of the youngest fleets in the sky. The airlines mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft helped it to develop a sustainable and adapted solution, allowing it to continue flying routes with less overall demand as it has a variety of aircraft it can select from, to offer the right capacity in each market. Due to Covid-19s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market. Qatar Airways fleet of 53 Airbus A350 and 37 Boeing 787 are the ideal mix for the most strategically important long-haul routes to Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.

Aircraft Fuel & CO2 Emission Reduction Initiatives: Qatar Airways continually strives to improve fuel efficiency through its fuel optimization program. From managing the weight of fittings and other items on our aircraft, to optimizing flight paths to ensure the minimum distance is travelled wherever possible.

Voluntary Carbon Offset Program for Passengers: Passengers now have the opportunity to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey at the point of booking. Qatar Airways is a proud member of the IATA carbon offset program, contributing to the Fatanpur Wind Farm project, which invests in developing Indias renewable energy capacity.

Reducing waste and applying the principles of a circular economy across the businesses: In 2019, Qatar Airways launched its Quisine on-board dining experience, with an increased focus on reducing single-use plastics.

Food waste reduction: Qatar Aircraft Catering Company has been working on recovery of unconsumed whole and safe food items for charity.

Water conservation and optimization: Qatar Airways was the first airline in the world to use General Electrics (GE) 360 Foam Wash technology on its aircraft, replacing traditional water wash methods on GE engines. In addition, recycled wastewater is used in irrigation for Hamad International Airports landscaping features and condensate water from the building air conditioners is used in commercial offices for cleaning activities, replacing potable water use.

Sustainability Reporting: In addition, Qatar Airways is committed to openly reporting on its sustainability performance in order to maintain the trust on which its long-term environmental leadership is built.

On the other hand, Qatar Airways has many other initiatives related to developing societies and communities such as:

Qatar Airways supports Educate A Child program: Educate A Child is a global program that aims to significantly reduce the number of children worldwide denied their fundamental right to education; an extension of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bintNasser of Qatar's mandate as a UNESCO Special Envoy on Basic and Higher Education, a United Nations Millennium Development Goal Advocate and a Steering Committee member of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons Global Education First initiative.

Qatar Airways pledged its support to Educate A Child through signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the program to bring quality primary education to millions of out of school children at a Plenary Session. The airline aims to provide support through its comprehensive suite of communication platforms beneficial in reaching a wide global passenger base to inform and showcase the initiative, including in-flight entertainment systems, in-flight magazines, web site and social media channels as well as financial donations collected on board and monetary contributions from the airline.

Supporting the Childrens Brain Tumor Foundation: The Childrens Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) is an organization that was established in 1988 to improve the treatment, quality of life and the long-term outlook for children with brain and spinal cord tumors through research, support, education, and advocacy to families and survivors. The Childrens Brain Tumor Foundation's mission is to make sure that these families never feel alone and to fund research to ensure that this devastating disease is eradicated. Qatar Airways supports the foundation by contributing to the annual benefit organized to raise funds for the foundation.

Orbis Charitable Trust: Qatar Airways has been named the Official Airline of Orbis UK, a global blindness prevention charity, for a period of two years starting September 2015.Orbis is an international NGO that transforms lives by working to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment. There are 285 million people in the world who are blind or visually impaired, yet a staggering 80 per cent of eye conditions can be prevented or cured. As the Official Airline of Orbis UK, Qatar Airways flies medical volunteers on duty to the airlines worldwide destinations.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: Qatar Airways believes that global aviation acts as a bridge between communities and people and we are delighted to be able to support causes that affect individuals across every continent. We are proud to offer our support to Orbis UK to help ensure that it can continue to make a significant difference in maintaining and restoring sight to even more people around the world.

Save the Dream (International Center for Sports Security: Qatar Airways is a proud supporter of the Save the Dream (International Center for Sports Security).The ICSS is an independent non-profit organization that is a globally-renowned and respected leader in sport safety, security and integrity. It plays an increasingly integral role in addressing critical issues in sport, such as corruption, betting fraud and transparency, as well as issues relevant to event safety and venue security. Qatar Airways has partnered with Save the Dream in various international activations, including the ICSS Save the Dream event in New York and the Save the Dream Week brought to you by Qatar Airways in Italy. Those events addressed important topics related to sports safety and showcased commitment to the growth of underprivileged children through sports.

Local and international community support: Qatar Airways works with local non-profit organizations in Qatar on various projects in local and international communities. A few of these projects include:

Medical center in Pakistan with Qatar Charity

Childrens trip to KidZania Kuwait with Dhreima and Shafallah

Ramadan Garangaou childrens activity in Qatar with Qatar Social Rehabilitation Center

Supporting Autism Speaks

Supporting MADA Assistive Technology Centre

1. What are the three dimensions of Sustainability in operations, briefly write about them and provide all examples about each from Qatar Airways company.

2. In what ways, government and non-government agencies can influence sustainability in operations. Base your argument on the operations of Qatar Airways.

3. How can businesses benefit from sustainability in operations? Support your answers with examples from Qatar Airways