DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, today hosted a capacity crowd press conference at the Sofitel Hotel in Auckland. Following the arrival of the airline’s first flight to New Zealand yesterday, H.E. Mr. Al Baker took the opportunity to talk about the airline’s expansion in the region and to express his pride in Qatar Airways’ record achievement of the world’s longest direct commercial flight.
Qatar Airways is committed to bringing more visitors to Auckland and boosting tourism to the already popular destination of New Zealand with its new daily flights. The record-breaking route will also give the people of New Zealand the opportunity to connect to more than 150 destinations on the airline’s global network via its hub, Hamad International Airport, in Doha. A video of the record-breaking flight, captured by New Zealand's leading aerial cinematography specialist Tony Monk, can be seen here.
H.E. Mr. Al Baker said: “We are proud to offer the people of New Zealand the best possible passenger experience when connecting to friends and family across the globe on board the world’s longest commercial flight from Auckland to Doha. The new service will give passengers from New Zealand the opportunity to travel to the more than 150 destinations on our global network where they will arrive feeling more refreshed than ever before thanks to the modern technology and high level of personalised customer service on board.”
Auckland Airport Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Adrian Littlewood, said: “The Qatar Airways service we welcomed to Auckland Airport yesterday will contribute around NZD $198 million to the New Zealand economy each year. The new service provides an exciting new option for visitors to New Zealand and for New Zealanders travelling overseas.”
The addition of Auckland to the airline’s constantly growing network comes on the back of its recent expansion in the region with the launch of new routes to Sydney and Adelaide in 2016. The airline will add to this again in 2017/18 when it plans to include Canberra on its list of gateways in Australasia.
Other new destination launches planned by the airline for 2017/18 including Yanbu and Tabuk in Saudi Arabia; Dublin in the Republic of Ireland; Nice in France; Skopje, the capital of Macedonia; Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand; Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina; Libreville, Gabon; Douala, Cameroon; Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Canberra, Australia; Medan, Indonesia; and Las Vegas, U.S.
Passengers planning to travel to New Zealand are encouraged to include a stopover in Doha as part of their journey. With a new transit visa scheme offering visitors a free transit visa for up to 96 hours, it is now even easier to combine a quick visit to Doha – with its historic sites, five-star shopping and resorts – with a trip to New Zealand. Visit Qatar Airways at http://www.qatarairways.com/us/en/qatar-transit-visa.page for more information.
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