Akbar Al Baker the CEO said that Qatar Airways will launch Australian services initially to Melbourne and the inaugural flight will take place on December 6.

Qatar Airways will begin operating three weekly services using a brand new Boeing B777-200 Long Range aircraft to be delivered to the airline later this year. Operations will quickly become daily early in the New Year.

Al Baker said that he has been waiting patiently for Boeing to deliver aircraft that Qatar Airways has on order to begin operating the first of its two planned routes into Australia.

“I know the travelling public is eager for us to begin serving Australia and I’ve had many people ask me about our direct routes to Melbourne and Sydney. We’re finalising some details with regulatory authorities in Australia, and once we’ve received the necessary aircraft from Boeing, we will be ready to operate.

“Qatar Airways already has 4,000 frequent fliers in Australia that are part of our loyalty programme, though the local market remains largely untapped. The Australian economy was one of the few in the world that grew in the first quarter of 2009, so this shows that the market there is still very strong, and we believe there is demand,” said Al Baker.   

The new operation will connect travellers from the United Kingdom and Europe to Australia with a one-stop service and a planned one hour connection time in Doha. From Qatar Airways’ hub in Doha, passengers can also link to numerous destinations across South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.   

Qatar Airways Senior Manager Europe Paul Johannes said that the prospect of European passenger traffic connecting to the Australian services from Doha was good news for travellers.

“Qatar Airways is a well-established brand in the UK and key points in Europe, so we already have a built-in market in this region that will feed into Australia which is an important destination for a lot of Europeans,” he said.

The Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft operating on the route will offer a two-class configuration of 259 seats. In Business Class, there are 42 seats with passengers able to enjoy comfort and space offering a pitch of up to 78 inches with each seat converting into 180-degree fully flat beds. With a 2–2–2 seat configuration, Business Class passengers are assured of either a window or aisle seat and plenty of space.

www.qatarairways.com

6/18/2009 6:05:59 AM UTC    Comments