Qatar Airways’ first daily regularly-scheduled Airbus A350 service to London Heathrow arrived in the United Kingdom earlier, as the airline introduced the state-of-the-art aircraft on the route.

The aircraft joins the airline’s Airbus A380, Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft currently operating the route.

The landing of the A350 also marked another milestone for the airline as it took place on the same day as the start of a new joint business agreement between Qatar Airways and British Airways.

The agreement benefits customers by offering a wider choice of flights by code sharing on all seven Qatar Airways and British Airways direct daily flights between London and Doha.

Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The Qatar Airways Airbus A350 is one of the most advanced aircraft in our fleet, offering passengers an unrivalled level of comfort while experiencing our award winning hospitality.

“It is only right that such an aircraft serves one of our six daily scheduled flights from Doha to London, a route further strengthened by our continued partnership with British Airways.”

Qatar Airways was the global launch customer for the Airbus A350 XWB in January 2015 and currently operates 11 A350s, with a further 69 on order, across its global network.

It is the first airline to fly the A350 to three continents, the first airline to fly the A350 to the United States, and the largest operator of the A350.

Heathrow chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Qatar Airways Airbus A350 to Heathrow.

“The A350 is part of the new generation of quieter, cleaner planes, helping us to be a better neighbour while achieving our vision of giving passengers the best airport service in the world.”