SINGAPORE, 13 December 2003 — Qatar Airways launched thrice weekly services to Singapore on Thursday with the arrival of the maiden flight at Changi Airport. Mohamed Saleh Fakhri, a Qatar Airways general manager, was on board the flight. “We warmly welcome Qatar Airways as our 68th airline,” said Wong Woon Liong, director-general of civil aviation in Singapore, at the arrival ceremony. “With the arrival of Qatar Airways, Changi’s air network has increased with the addition of a new country and city link, reinforcing Singapore’s position as an aviation hub in the region,” he said. The carrier became the fifth airline to operate in Changi this year. Qatar will arrive in Singapore each Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and later depart for Cebu in the Philippines.