DOHA, 5 June 2007 — Qatar Airways announced on Sunday the launch of US flights as part of the airline’s route expansion program for 2007. The first flight to New York will take off from Doha on June 26, and its daily nonstop Washington flight will commence on July 19, making Qatar Airways the only Middle Eastern carrier flying daily nonstop to any US destination.
Speaking at a press conference held at Hotel Movenpick here during the last leg of Qatar Airways’ roadshow in the Gulf aimed at promoting the launch of US flights, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al-Baker said: “There has been overwhelming interest across the GCC in Qatar Airways’ new flights to New York and Washington DC. We will be the only carrier based in the Middle East flying daily non-stop to the American capital, and will also be the only airline based in the Middle East flying to Newark Liberty International Airport, the gateway to New York City,” adding that seven cities will be added to the airline’s burgeoning international network under the airline’s growth plans for this year.
The roadshow kicked off in Dubai on Sunday followed by Kuwait and Manama in Bahrain on Thursday and culminated in Doha on Sunday.
The four-day-a-week New York flight will operate via Geneva — the airline’s second destination in Switzerland — following its successful operation to Zurich.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 57 all-Airbus aircraft to 75 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East and the Indian subcontinent. The new US flights from Doha will offer excellent connections to and from the GCC markets.
Al-Baker assured that the airline will provide the best possible services in terms of customer care, terminal transfer, lounge facility and in-flight assistance and hospitality “since we believe to be the best in whatever we do.”
From June 26, the New York flights will operate on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. It will leave Doha at 8: 40 a.m. and will reach New York at 6:55 p.m. It will depart from there for Doha at 11:55 p.m. and arrive here the next day at 8:15 p.m, said Salam Al-Sahwa, Qatar Airways senior manager marketing and communications.
She said the Washington flight will depart from Doha at 11:35 a.m. daily and will reach there at 7:10 p.m., while the return flight from Washington will take off daily at 22:55 p.m. and will arrive in Doha the next day at 7 p.m.
The roadshow followed a similar successful round of press briefings held across the US last week and it also coincided with the launch of a Gulf-wide media advertising campaign designed to highlight awareness in the GCC markets.
He said that flights to the US were a historic move for Qatar Airways in a year, following the launch of services to Dar Es-Salaam, Lagos, Chennai, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City.
“Our Five-Star service is renowned worldwide and we are extremely delighted to widen our reach to the United States and offer the traveling public a long-awaited service between the Middle East and US east coast. Both cities promise to be key selling destinations for Qatar Airways,” he said. “Qatar Airways recognizes the importance of key neighboring markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia to feed traffic onto our network and I am pleased to announce that we are stepping up frequency on the Doha-Dubai route with an additional daily flight, taking our operation from seven to eight flights a day,” he added.
Al-Baker said the airline will soon organize roadshows in Saudi Arabia to tap the market and to make the airline more Saudi-friendly.
