Doha, QATAR – Qatar Airways today announces an array of special offers and promotions for travellers around the world to celebrate its 100^th destination launch.

The Gulf carrier will reach the historic milestone on April 6 when it begins scheduled flights to the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo, a mere 14 years after the airline launched operations. 

Effective March 15, customers can sign up for the promotion on www.qatarairways.com/100 for a chance to win free tickets to over 100 destinations. The airline has 100 pairs of Economy Class tickets to give away to lucky passengers.

The airline’s frequent flyer loyalty programme Privilege Club is offering members bonus Avios and a special discount on award tickets redeemed at qatarairways.com/privilegeclub. For Qatar Airways’ QNB co-branded credit card holders, additional bonus Avios are on offer. Further details on these offers are available at www.qatarairways.com/100

Qatar Airways Holidays, the airline’s holiday division, is introducing an attractive Doha stop-over package at special rates giving travellers a chance to explore the sights of Qatar before continuing to their onward destinations.

The Doha-based carrier will also announce a fabulous global offer to be unveiled before the 100^th destination launch. The offer will only be accessible through the airline’s website qatarairways.com.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that the airline’s 100^th route launch was a major milestone and the promotions were a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the travelling public.

“We are preparing to mark a great milestone of reaching 100 destinations, a remarkable achievement in the short few years we have been operating. This would not have been possible without the full support of our valued partners, be they travel agents, corporates and, of course, our leisure customers.

“Over the next few weeks, further details of the promotions worldwide will be unveiled, so watch this space.

“The airline sincerely appreciates all the goodwill and encouragement that we have received since re-launching in 1997, and we are pleased to be celebrating and sharing this historic moment with our existing customers and new ones,” said Al Baker.

The 100^th destination promotions are available worldwide and are in addition to offers already promoted throughout the airline’s extensive global route network.

Today, the airline flies to 99 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America with a modern fleet of 95 aircraft. The latest route launch was on March 6 to the German city of Stuttgart.

“By 2013, Qatar Airways will have surpassed 120 destinations worldwide and will shift the goalposts even further with further expansion. Our ultimate goal is to be widely recognised as the best airline in the world.”

Qatar Airways is today ranked the third best airline among the top 10 carriers in the world in the prestigious annual Skytrax audit of global passenger travel.

Ranked Five Star for excellence by Skytrax, the airline’s competitive product focuses on comfort, cuisine, in-flight entertainment, award-winning in-flight service and a fleet of aircraft that is young and modern averaging just less than four years old.

On June 5, Qatar Airways embarks on a busy month of further route growth, launching flights to its third destination in Iran – to the southern city of Shiraz. Flights to Venice, the carrier’s third Italian gateway start on June 15, and the airline spreads its wings to Canada for the first time with  new services to  Montreal, beginning on June 29.

On July 27, Qatar Airways starts new flights to Kolkata (Calcutta) – its 12^th Indian gateway – followed by the Bulgarian capital Sofia on September 14 and the Norwegian capital city of Oslo on October 5.