DOHA, Qatar – A glittering line-up of VIP guests and celebrities walked Qatar Airways’ red carpet at a glamorous gala event held on Thursday 3 March at the Dockside Pavilion in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Celebrating the launch of its new flights to Sydney, which commenced on 2 March 2016, the award-winning airline gave guests a taste of the five-star service and hospitality that they can expect every time they travel on board one of its modern aircraft anywhere in the world.
Special guests at the gala event included actor Richard Roxburgh and his wife Silvia Colloca; Olympic swimming champion, Ian Thorpe; host of Australia’s Next Top Model, Jennifer Hawkins; Celebrity Chef, George Calombaris; and British Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh. Other VIPs included The Hon. Stuart Ayres, NSW State Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events; Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase; Kerrie Mather, Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer; and His Excellency Mr. Arthur Spyrou, Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Speaking at the gala event, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “Tonight has been the perfect start to our new partnership with Sydney. We are very excited to be here as Sydney has long been a desired addition to our route map; our passengers have consistently requested more access to Australia and we are very happy to deliver. I am very proud that Qatar Airways is able to create more opportunities for Australians to see the world.”
He added: “I would like to thank all of our supporters in Australia for their warm welcome and for joining us here tonight on this very special occasion.”
Before dinner, guests were entertained on the terrace of the gala venue with entertainment from 2015 X-Factor runners up Jess & Matt. Guests enjoyed acoustic sounds from the duo as they soaked up the atmosphere at the Dockside Pavilion in Darling Harbour, one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks.
As guests dined on a bespoke menu created by celebrity chef George Calombaris especially for the event, Michelle Martine performed a set of jazz and vintage soul. The menu included a combination of Australian and Arabic flavours in dishes such as Australian marron with tomato jelly, caviar, cucumber; beef cheek, carrot puree, dates, seeds spice granola and peach baklava.
The highlight of the evening was a dazzling performance from Kylie Minogue, who once again proved that she is Australia’s number one pop princess.
The evening’s grand finale was a tremendous firework display over Darling Harbour, seen by the 400 guests from the pavilion terrace.
Passengers travelling on board the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 to and from Sydney in Business Class can enjoy one of the most comfortable fully-flat beds in the sky with 78 inches of seat pitch. In addition, the on-demand à la carte menu service allows Business Class passengers to order anything from the menu at any time during the flight. The aircraft also features the state-of-the-art Oryx One entertainment system, with more than 3,000 entertainment options on individual screens in all classes.
Daily Flight Schedule:
DOH-SYD QR908 Departs: 2010 Arrives: 1805+1
SYD-DOH QR909 Departs: 2220 Arrives: 0505+1
Notes to Editors:
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 19th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 178 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents.
Qatar Airways won Airline of the Year, Best Business Class Airline Seat and Best Airline in the Middle East at the 2015 Skytrax Awards. This is the third time the airline won the accolade of Airline of the Year.
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
Qatar Airways launched Oryx One in 2015, an enhanced interface for its inflight entertainment system, increasing the number of movies and TV shows on board from 950 to up to 3,000. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 as well as select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the five-star airline’s on-board Wifi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest cargo carrier, serves more than 50 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally on 178 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet now includes eight Airbus 330Fs, eight Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747 freighter.
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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