Johannesburg, South Africa– Qatar Airways wrapped up a hugely successful Paris Air Show by announcing that it was increasing flights between Doha and Paris to twice-daily services – up from the current 11 frequencies a week. The additional services, effective from the start of the Northern Winter schedules on October 25, will strengthen Qatar Airways’ operations in Europe and offer passengers more choice with increased connectivity to points across the Middle East, South Asia and the Far East.
The announcement comes as icing on the cake during a hugely successful week for the airline at Le Bourget, venue for the centenary edition of the Paris Air Show. Qatar Airways made the biggest impact on the opening day of the week-long event by signing an order for 24 Airbus A320 Family of aircraft, together with a US$700 million deal with IAE’s V2500 SelectOne engines to power the new fleet. With the official launch of Qatar Executive, the Middle East’s first corporate jet company run by a scheduled airline, Qatar Airways was in a buoyant mood during the show, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the aviation industry. Qatar Airways’ eagerly awaited launch date of operations to Australia finally materialised with December 6 announced for the thrice-weekly non-stop service between Doha and Melbourne. Going daily soon after and with flights to Sydney following in due course, Qatar Airways’ remains committed to further route expansion.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was looking forward to the next few months as the airline’s expansion plans will see new aircraft joining the fleet and new routes added to the network. “Qatar Airways this past week made yet another a significant mark at the Paris Air Show with a number of announcements showing our commitment to developing our network, expanding our operation, boosting our fleet size, and growing our business – a commitment that we will see through the current economic situation,” he said.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 68 Airbus and Boeing aircraft to 82 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America. The airline will launch a further six new routes in the coming nine months, including Amritsar (October 11) and Goa (October 25) in India, Melbourne (December 6) and Sydney (date to be confirmed) in Australia, and a further two, as yet, unannounced routes in Europe. Qatar Airways is the only 5-star rated Gulf airline, and from its hub in Doha, flies to over 80 destinations covering Africa, Europe, Middle East, Indian subcontinents, Far East and America. The carrier flies one of the youngest and most modern fleet of aircraft in the skies today and offers South Africans daily flights to Doha. Their commitment is to provide travellers with the highest quality of service both in the air and on the ground and this new service offering expands on their outstanding 5 star offering.
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