Berlin, GERMANY – During this year's International Tourism Fair in Berlin, Qatar Airways introduced the world's first highly anticipated A380-800 First Class seat to a wide range of journalists and honoured guests. In addition, Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker announced numerous innovations at the press conference.

It was during this festive ceremony in which Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit attended as a guest of honour, that His Excellency Mr. Al Baker introduced the A380’s new First Class seat to the world. The product offers a seat pitch just over 2.2 meters long and can be converted into a fully flat bed. In addition, the seat unit, the widest in the industry, allows for access to a 26-inch screen with a variety of entertainment options. There is also a privacy screen, increased personal storage as well as the ability for two passengers to sit across from each other while dining.

On the opening day of ITB, the airline’s CEO Mr. Al Baker also shared several new updates for the airline including a new daily route to Japan (Haneda) on June 18; conversions to fully-flat bed seats on the airline’s A320s and A330s; a new operation called “Al Maha Airways” that will be based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the introduction of two new aircraft types later this year – the A350 and the A380.

The airline is expecting its first A380 later this year; its future home, the Hamad International Airport (HIA), is also nearing its official opening, as Al Baker announced at the press conference following the A380’s First Class seat world premiere. The Qatar Airways CEO also showed appreciation for the many oneworld alliance benefits for both the airline and its passengers. With an additional 300 aircraft on order worth more than US $50 billion, the presentation also stressed the airline’s long-term expansion plans.

Hundreds of visitors demonstrated the new First Class A380 seat at the Qatar Airways stand and sampled the airline’s signature hospitality.

In addition, Qatar Airways was awarded the Expedia EMEA 2013 Award for the most innovative campaign of the year. The international awards are given out annually by Expedia Media Solutions, Expedia’s department of advertising communications. The judges particularly applauded the way in which the company had increased its visibility and strengthened its relationship with travellers in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany through high engagement on social networks.

Al Baker summed up after the event: "We are very satisfied with the outcome of this year's ITB; we were able to use this international environment to showcase our outstanding A380 First Class seat to a global audience. With all the additional new features we show a continuous commitment to our customers, offering the best possible experience when travelling with Qatar Airways."