QATAR. Qatar Airways is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its relaunch with nine new destinations planned during the year.
Dar Es Salaam, the commercial and financial centre of Tanzania, this month became the newest addition to the airline’s with direct non-stop services launched to the city.
Qatar Airways operates four flights a week between Doha International Airport and Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
The Doha-based airline said it sees 2007 as a year of “huge expansion” with non-stop services planned to key destinations around the world, including Bali, New York, Lagos, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Ahmedabad and two, as yet to be announced, cities in northern and eastern Europe. That spells good news for the carrier’s ambitious subsidiary Qatar Duty Free Company, which handles both airport and inflight sales.
“This is a year of huge celebration for Qatar Airways. We have come a long way since our relaunch in 1997 when we operated a handful of aircraft to a handful of routes.“ |
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways |
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said Dar es Salaam was a key city in the airline’s strategy to build a stronger network of destinations across the African continent.
“We launched flights to Nairobi at the end of 2005; we have now begun services to Dar Es Salaam and will bring Lagos on line over the next few weeks,” he said.
“Africa presents huge opportunities and we see this region as a growth area for Qatar Airways. Dar es Salaam is one of the premier business destinations in Africa and the gateway to fantastic holiday retreats such as game reserves and the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro volcano.”
Al Baker said 2007 would be a year of massive expansion in frequencies, routes and aircraft. “This is a year of huge celebration for Qatar Airways. We have come a long way since our relaunch in 1997 when we operated a handful of aircraft to a handful of routes.
“Now, in our 10th anniversary year, we have exciting new destinations joining Qatar Airways’ growing network, together with more flights on existing routes to give passengers more choice, and brand new Airbus and Boeing aircraft joining the fleet with deliveries of the first of our Boeing 777s towards the end of 2007.”
Al Baker said that such expansion reinforced the message that Qatar Airways was one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, with 71 destinations served from Doha to cities across Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and other Asian countries.
It is also one of the Middle East’s and world’s fastest-growing duty free retailers, thanks to a highly successful and expanding operation at Doha International Airport and an acclaimed inflight retail offer*.
With a growing international network, he added that more travellers would have an opportunity to use Qatar Airways’ brand new Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport, exclusively for departing First and Business Class passengers.
The Premium Terminal features facilities such as a spa, jacuzzi, duty free, business centre and fine dining restaurants. It is the world’s first commercial passenger building dedicated to First and Business Class passengers.
Qatar Airways is one of only four airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency.
Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the fourth year running in 2006 and second best worldwide following a survey of more than 12 million passengers worldwide.
The airline’s fleet will more than double in size over the next 10 years to 110 aircraft. Qatar Airways plans to acquire 60 Airbus A350s and 22 Boeing 777s, with deliveries of the latter beginning in November 2007.
The airline is a launch customer of the twin-deck Airbus A380 ‘super jumbos’ with four aircraft on order and scheduled for delivery from 2009 to coincide with the opening of the New Doha International Airport.
For the financial year that ended in March 2006, Qatar Airways carried more than 6.3 million passengers worldwide and the airline projects it will carry 8 million passengers during the 12-month financial period ending March 2007.
*Note: The airline’s inflight duty free brochure was judged the industry’s best by The Moodie Report in 2006.
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