Aviation

Discover Qatar Offers Educational Tours to School and College Students

Discover Qatar (DQ) is offering specially-designed tours to showcase Qatar’s top-tier educational and tourism resources as well as the distinctive features of Doha.

Discover Qatar (DQ) is offering specially-designed tours to showcase Qatar’s top-tier educational and tourism resources as well as the distinctive features of Doha. Custom-made for school and college students from across the globe, these tours present a unique opportunity for a holistic view of Qatar’s premier academic ecosystem, while immersing guests in the culture of the country.

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Through these tours, Discover Qatar aims to provide life-enhancing travel experiences to empower students to learn beyond the classroom. These tours will enable cross culture connections for the students to develop new ideas and perspectives through special experiences, training, and networking opportunities.

DQ recently conducted familiarisation tours during which participants discovered diverse opportunities through interactions at Qatar Foundation and Education City, mainly at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. DQ also arranged visits to National Museum of Qatar, 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, Fire Station, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, M7, Katara Cultural Village, and Aspire Academy to present an all-inclusive understanding of Qatar.

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Qatar combines globally renowned education with a rich culture, world-class facilities, and social stability, all-while offering it in a safe environment. Doha, which is up to a seven hour flight away from countless major cities around the world, offers a visa-free entry to eligible citizens of 95 countries. With the national carrier, Qatar Airways, currently flying to more than 150 destinations worldwide through the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport, Qatar is an ideal destination for students’ educational tours. Students arriving in Doha will discover a vibrant, forward-thinking city presenting unparalleled learning resources in the fields of arts and culture, architecture, sports, fashion and design, gastronomy, business management and higher education, set against the multi-faceted backdrop of modernity and heritage with unique attractions, architectural marvels, museums, theme parks, shopping boulevards and much more.

Students between the ages of 18 and 30 can also benefit from Qatar Airways’ exclusive Student Club programme, which is powered by the airline’s loyalty programme, by receiving special fares on flights, extra baggage allowances, flexibility to change flight dates, complimentary Super Wi-Fi onboard, and more.

Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.