MELBOURNE: Qatar Airways is celebrating the launch of scheduled services to Australia, following the airline’s inaugural flight into Melbourne on Sunday night.
The new Doha-Melbourne route signals the beginning of the carrier’s operations to Australia, and adds another continent to its rapidly expanding global network. Melbourne becomes the award-winning airline’s 85th destination and fourth new route of 2009. The carrier plans to launch flights to Sydney next year.
On board the maiden flight from Doha was the airline’s CEO Akbar Al-Baker, who led a high-profile delegation, including the Australian Ambassador to the UAE and Qatar, Doug Trappett, international media and senior company executives.
Victorian Government Minister of Tourism and Major Events Tim Holding provided an official welcome for Qatar Airways at the state government offices in Melbourne. Addressing the media, Al-Baker said: “We have been eagerly planning our entry into the Australian market for several years, and we are delighted to finally arrive here in Melbourne. The launch of flights to Melbourne ahead of the busy holiday season ends a year of further growth for the airline, which also launched services to Houston, and both Amritsar and Goa in India during 2009.
Added Al-Baker: “We are entering the Australian market at a time of continued growth for an airline despite the current economic climate when many airlines worldwide are consolidating and retrenching. Our strategy is long-term, maintaining our expansion plans to meet demand and this will remain unaffected despite the events around us.
Holding said it was a fantastic milestone for Victoria’s tourism industry and for Melbourne as a leading gateway city to Australia to welcome Qatar’s national carrier to the city.
“The Brumby government is working to increase international air services, which bring more tourists to Melbourne, boost our economy and create jobs for local people,” he said.