Doha, QATAR – The 70th International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) wrapped up yesterday in Doha with a press conference attended by more than 100 international media, at which Qatar Airways was recognised for its innovation in passenger comfort.
During the press conference at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, who was appointed president of this year’s AGM, confirmed that Qatar Airways will pilot two key industry programmes aimed at enhancing security and improving passenger experience, Smart Security and Fast Travel.*
And in recognition of the airline’s achievement in already giving passengers greater choice, convenience, and control over their journey at Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways was awarded the Fast Travel Green Award by IATA.
Hamad International Airport already offers five of the six Fast Travel options for self-service, including Check-in, Bags-Ready-To-Go (My Q-Tag), Flight Rebooking, Self-Boarding, and Baggage Recovery. Plans are also in place for the implementation of Document Check, the last of the Fast Travel options.
“Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are committed to giving passengers the best experience possible,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker. “To do that we are working in close partnership to give our passengers the self-service options that they increasingly expect. And we are also pleased to be among the world’s pioneering airports for Smart Security. Our new state-of-the-art gateway, Hamad International Airport, and Qatar Airways want HIA to become the hub of choice for passengers. Smart Security and Fast Travel will be two of the key elements in that success.”
Smart Security is a joint project between IATA and the Airports Council International (ACI) to strengthen security and increase operational efficiency at airport checkpoints. Smart Security achieves this by focusing resources based on risk, using advanced screening technologies and process innovations.
“We are delighted that Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are partners in the Smart Security and Fast Travel initiatives. Qatar and Hamad join a growing group of visionary airlines and airports that are committed to the collaborative optimization of procedures and technology,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
“The community of airports around the world is working assiduously to increase the promotion of excellence in all aspects of their activities and passenger care is at the forefront of our efforts. Collaboration between industry stakeholders extends our reach and makes progress possible. Smart Security, driven by ACI and IATA, is one of the solutions that will increase passenger satisfaction by reducing the hassle factor associated with current processes. We congratulate Hamad International Airport for spearheading the transformation of the security checkpoint and we look forward to seeing the benefits that Smart Security will bring to our passengers,” said Angela Gittens, ACI’s Director General.
This year’s IATA AGM took place in Doha from 1st to 3rd June 2014 and is particularly significant as the aviation industry is celebrating 100 years since the commencement of the first scheduled commercial flight. It is also the first time the event has been held in the Middle East since Amman, Jordan, in 1997 and the first time in the Gulf region.
More than 240 airlines around the world are members of IATA and the AGM attracted more than 1,000 senior aviation industry delegates, including more than 200 international media. Key themes of airline industry reputation, the global aviation skills supply and aircraft noise developments were all discussed during the three-day conference.
Qatar Airways, the country’s national airline, has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 134 aircraft to 141 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
Over the next few months, the network will grow further with new routes to Miami, USA (June 10, 2014), Haneda, Japan (June 18, 2014), Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (July 1, 2014) and Djibouti (July 27, 2014).
For images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/qatarairways/sets/72157644942331366/
Notes to Editors:
*Further information on Smart Security and Fast Travel:
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/security/Pages/smart-security.aspx
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/passenger/fast-travel/Pages/index.aspx
On October 30, 2013, Qatar Airways joined the oneworld Alliance, becoming the first Gulf carrier to join a global airline alliance, enabling its customers to benefit from almost 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
Award-winning carrier Qatar Airways was presented with three honours at the annual Skytrax 2013 World Airline Awards held during the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, France, last June. The airline was awarded World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge and, for the second consecutive year, Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East.
During the 2013 Dubai Air Show the airline placed orders for more than 60 new aircraft – a mixture of Boeing 777X and Airbus A330 Freighters. In total the airline has 300 aircraft on order worth more than US $50 billion. For more information, visit our homepage www.qatarairways.com or our sites on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.
For Qatar Airways corporate images, please click here: http://www.qatarairways.com/corporateimages
For further information contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 40222072, Fax: +974 40225350
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
Website: www.qatarairways.com