Berlin, GERMANY– Qatar Airways celebrated its attendance at this year’s ITB Berlin – the world’s largest travel show – by showcasing its award-winning Five Star service and hospitality.
Highlights of the airline’s attendance included a display of its long-haul Boeing 777 Business Class seats, as well as a model of the New Doha International Airport, which is currently under construction and set to open in 2012.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker held a press conference on the opening day of the five-day event,by announcing plans to boost the airline’s international network this year with the launch of flights to Oslo, Sofia and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).These new routes will be part of an overall expansion during 2011, which will also see the Iranian city of Shiraz (June 5), Venice in Italy (June 15) and the airline’s first destination in Canada – Montreal (June 29) joining the network.
During the show, Qatar Airways also announced a number of capacity increases to various destinations,including the Doha – Frankfurt route expanded to double daily services, an increase from 10 to 14 flights a week.
The Frankfurt expansion represents part of a huge capacity increase in Germany from 24 to 35 flights a week, which includes recently-introduced flights to Stuttgart, additional services to Munich while maintaining a daily schedule to the capital, Berlin.
Qatar Airways has been voted third best airline in the world following the annual 2010 Skytrax survey of 18 million international passengers. In the survey, the airline was also voted as having the Best Business Class Service and Catering in the World, as well as being honoured as the Best Airline in The Middle East for the fifth consecutive year.
Qatar Airways has orders for 80 Airbus A350s, 60 Boeing 787s and 32 Boeing 777s, with deliveries of the latter having started in November 2007. The airline is one of the customers of the twin-deck Airbus A380 ‘super jumbos’ with five on order and scheduled for delivery from 2012, by which time the New Doha International Airport would have opened. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com
Qatar Airways Corporate Communications
Tel: +974 44496956, Fax: +974 44620132
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa