Qatar Airways announces summer 2005 destinations

Osaka, Melbourne, Athens, Tunis and Algiers will be added from next March, extending Qatar Airways' global reach to 64 destinations from Doha, capital of the State of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf.

The route announcement comes just two weeks before the launch of the first of six new winter destinations from Doha, further positioning Qatar Airways as a truly international brand.

They are: Beijing (November 25), London Gatwick (Nov 26), Seychelles (Dec 1), Yangon (8 January 2005), Johannesburg (Jan 16) and Cape Town (Jan 16).

Scheduled flights to Osaka will mark the airline's first entry into the Japanese market while Melbourne becomes Qatar Airways' first Australian destination. The Tunisian and Algerian capitals, Tunis and Algiers respectively, will be another foothold into North Africa, and the Greek capital, Athens, becomes the airline's 10th European city served from Doha.

Announcing the five additional routes at World Travel Market in London, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker said the airline was growing at a phenomenal pace with new aircraft joining the fleet at a rate of almost once a month.

"Qatar Airways is spreading its reach to exciting new destinations to cater for growing demand from a diverse group of travellers, whether they are flying on business or leisure.

"As one of the fastest growing and youngest carriers in the world, Qatar Airways has made significant inroads in the global aviation industry to become an award-winning airline in just a short few years.

"We recently joined an elite club of only two other airlines to be awarded a Five Star ranking for high standards, excellent service and good quality by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency."

Skytrax has also ranked Qatar Airways' cabin crew as the best in the Middle East and fifth best in the world following a survey of more than two million passengers worldwide.

Qatar Airways operates scheduled flights from Doha to 53 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and the Far East. By the end of 2005, the airline will serve at least 70 destinations, including cities in North America and Australia.

Added Al Baker: "Qatar Airways is all about luxury and offering our passengers quality and a personalised service which have helped us achieve Five Star status.

"Doha's positioning at the crossroads of East and West makes the city an attractive proposition as a regional hub."

Qatar Airways operates 36 all-Airbus aircraft, averaging less than three years old. The fleet will nearly double in size over the next few years.

Last month, Qatar Airways took delivery of its first A330-300 aircraft, the largest in its fleet, featuring 259 seats in a three-class configuration. The aircraft, first of 14 A330-300s to be delivered over the next four years, operates mainly on European routes from Doha such as London Heathrow and Paris.

The aircraft features a brand new First, Business and Economy Class with the latest inflight entertainment system that revolves around Audio Video On Demand. The entertainment system includes 32 Hollywood movies and films from around the world and short programmes, together with a choice of 40 CDs, 16 audio channels and 12 interactive games such as Solitaire and Millionaire.