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Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, IAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh (left) and oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby at the signing ceremony to welcome Qatar Airways into the alliance |
QATAR. Fast-growing Qatar Airways this week joined the airline alliance oneworld. It is the only one of the major Gulf carriers to join any of the global airline alliances.
Qatar Airways said the move would strengthen its competitiveness, “enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners that include leading airlines from every region”.
Qatar Airways, which serves more than 130 destinations in 70 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australasia, is oneworld’s second member airline based in the Middle East.
More than 20 of Qatar Airways’ destinations and five countries – Ethiopia, Iran, Rwanda, Serbia and Tanzania – will be new to the oneworld map.
In addition, Qatar Airways will boost the alliance’s customer offering by providing new routing alternatives across many hundreds of city pairs. For example, passengers flying between Asia and Southern Europe or between Asia and Africa will now have one-stop connections not previously available within the oneworld network.
At a ceremony to mark its entry into oneworld, held at Hamad International Airport, which will open soon as Qatar Airways’ new home base, Qatar Airways unveiled the first aircraft in its fleet to be decorated in a special oneworld livery – with the Boeing 777-300 becoming the first aircraft to land at the new airport.
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The ceremony was attended by a packed media audience |
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The state-of-the-art US$15.5 billion Hamad International Airport is designed to strengthen Doha’s role as a premium global hub. The new airport has an eventual capacity for 50 million passengers a year.
Under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Qatar His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the ceremony was hosted by Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker and attended by the CEOs and senior executives from all other oneworld member airlines.
Qatar Airways is embarking on a major marketing drive to promote the airline’s addition to the alliance. Starting this week, oneworld logos will be applied by the side passenger entrance doors on Qatar Airways’ entire fleet of 130 aircraft. That is part of a rebranding programme that will also see the alliance logo added wherever the Qatar Airways name is displayed – at airport check-in desks and signage, on its website, tickets, boarding passes and all items of stationery.
Qatar Airways’ addition to oneworld will also be promoted with one of the biggest marketing campaigns in the airline’s history, with an extensive advertising campaign to highlight the new alliance services and benefits available to its customers.
Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today – and that will continue long into the future. Becoming a member of oneworld is one of the most significant landmarks in Qatar Airways’ history. It will strengthen our competitive offering and give our customers what they fully deserve – more choice across a truly global network served together with airline partners who include some of the best and biggest in the world.
“In Qatar Airways’ relatively short history, we have quickly established a reputation for innovation, quality and excellence in everything we do. We are pleased to build on that by becoming the only major airline from the Gulf to join any of the global airline alliances – and we are proud to become part of what is clearly the world’s top quality airline alliance, oneworld.”
oneworld Chief Executive Bruce Ashby added: “oneworld aims to be the first choice alliance for the world’s frequent international travellers – with an unrivalled collection of quality carriers, delivering unmatched benefits to customers and to member airlines alike. Qatar Airways’ addition as our second member airline in the Middle East makes oneworld the leading alliance in what is one of the world’s fastest growing regions for air travel demand.
“oneworld is delighted to be the only global alliance to welcome on board one of the major Gulf carriers, enabling us to be the only global alliance to offer consumers the services and benefits offered by both a global alliance and a Gulf carrier. Our own analysis clearly demonstrated that Qatar Airways is the best fit for oneworld’s network, requirements, philosophy and strategy.”
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