DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways launched its second new destination of the year, touching down in the Spice Island of Zanzibar yesterday. Zanzibar is the airline’s third route in Tanzania, following Dar-es-Salaam and Kilimanjaro.
Qatar Airways will initially operate five weekly flights to Zanzibar via Kilimanjaro, and commencing 1st October 2015, the airline will offer an additional two weekly flights making it a daily operation. Out of the daily flights from October, passengers will be able to fly non-stop to Zanzibar three-times-a-week and on a linked flight via Kilimanjaro four-times-a-week.
Flight QR1355 arrived at Zanzibar International Airport at 16:20 local time and was welcomed by local dignitaries and media.
Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Marwan Koleilat who was on the inaugural flight said: “This latest route marks yet another significant milestone for the airline that has spread its international wings to its 20th gateway in Africa and 148th destination globally.
“Zanzibar’s attraction as a tourist destination has been steadily growing as more travellers discover its wonderful combination of cultures, and Qatar Airways is delighted to be able to give more people the opportunity to visit this beautiful island with all it has to offer.
“By providing a reliable, convenient and award-winning travel experience from Zanzibar, Qatar Airways will provide passengers with the opportunity to travel to Doha and connect onwards to more than 140 worldwide destinations through our new state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport.”
Honourable Juma Duni Haji Zanzibar’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communication said: “It is with pleasure and extreme pride that we welcome Qatar Airways to Zanzibar. We are delighted this global airline has chosen Zanzibar as its newest destination in Africa and we look forward to working together with the Qatar Airways team to bring further investment, trade and tourism to our island.”
Qatar Airways is operating an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration on the Zanzibar-Doha route, with 12 seats in Business Class and up to 132 seats in Economy. Each seat on selected flights offers an interactive audio and video entertainment system featuring up to 1,000 options of movies, TV programmes and music channels.
In addition, passengers can remain connected with friends, colleagues and family on the ground with an SMS text messaging service using their mobile devices.
Qatar Airways’ African portfolio of destinations covers a rich and diverse group of cities that also includes Nairobi, Entebbe, Kigali, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Algiers, Asmara, Cairo, Casablanca, Djibouti, Khartoum and Luxor.
The airline has seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 161 aircraft to 148 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
The current Doha-Kilimanjaro-Zanzibar schedule:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Depart Doha QR1355 at 08:50, arrive Kilimanjaro at 14:20
Depart Kilimanjaro QR1355 at 15:20, arrive Zanzibar at 16:20
Depart Zanzibar QR1355 at 17:20, arrive Doha at 22:35
Daily flight schedules from October:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Depart Doha QR1355 at 08:50, arrive Kilimanjaro at 14:20
Depart Kilimanjaro QR1355 at 15:20, arrive Zanzibar at 16:20
Depart Zanzibar QR1355 at 17:20, arrive Doha at 22:35
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Depart Doha QR1357 at 08:50, arrive Zanzibar at 14:40
Depart Zanzibar QR1357 at 15:40, arrive Kilimanjaro at 16:40
Depart Kilimanjaro QR1357 at 17:40, arrive Doha at 22:35
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is proud to be Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways has been awarded World’s Best Airline, World's Best Business Class; Best Business Class Airline Lounge and Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.
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.
Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 3,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves. Qatar Airways sponsors world-leading sports teams including FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia FC reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message – Going Places Together.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest international 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