DOHA / SAO PAULO – Award-winning Qatar Airways, recently named Airline of the Year 2011, and Brazil´s Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, have implemented a new code share agreement to connect travellers from Doha to 46 cities across Brazil through Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport.

With this new agreement, Qatar Airways’ customers are able to purchase a single itinerary combining flights on both carriers’ global networks, affording them the ease of one-stop ticketing and through baggage check-in.

Qatar Airways, the national airline of the State of Qatar, operates daily non-stop flights between its Doha hub and Brazil’s largest city of Sao Paulo, using its flagship Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft. Configured with 42 seats in Business Class and 217 seats in Economy, every passenger in both classes has access to a fully interactive individual audio and video entertainment system with more than 900 programming options to choose from.

Gol has the most extensive route network in Brazil than any other airline, with more than 900 daily departures to dozens of key Brazilian cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Curitiba, Foz da Iguaçú, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis and Londrina.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said:  “We are pleased to now be growing our passenger base through this exciting new partnership with Gol Linhas Aéreas, which offers a convenient travel experience across Gol´s domestic network in Brazil to the many international destinations we fly to beyond our Doha hub.

“Whether passengers are flying to Brazil or from Brazil, we assure a seamless experience with our new partner airline Gol.

“Qatar Airways’ operations are strategically well placed to connect passengers travelling between East and West, and with schedules that offer excellent transit times as little as 30 minutes, we provide an exciting array of destinations for onward travel across the Middle East and Asia Pacific.”

Gol´s Marketing and Communications Vice President Claudia Pagnano said: “We are honoured to partner with Qatar Airways, an airline that, like Gol, is constantly focused on delivering a great experience to all travellers. We look forward to introducing Brazil´s most important cities to Qatar Airways global customers.”

Customers may purchase Qatar Airways’ flights from several Brazilian destinations through the Global Distribution System (GDS), online travel agencies, by contacting Qatar Airways reservations or visiting the global site www.qatarairways.com or local Brazilian site www.qatarairways.com/br

About Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes

Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes offers more than 900 daily flights to 51 destinations that connect all the important cities in Brazil and 11 major destinations in South America and the Caribbean. The company operates a young, modern fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, the safest and most comfortable of its class, with high aircraft utilisation and efficiency levels. Fully committed to seeking innovative solutions through the use of cutting-edge technology, the carrier – via its Gol, Varig, Smiles, Gollog and VoeFácil brands – offers its customers easy payment facilities, a wide range of complementary services and the best cost-benefit ratio in the market.

About Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, ranked Five Star for service and excellence and recently named Airline of the Year 2011 in the annual Skytrax industry survey. The airline operates a modern fleet of 98 aircraft to over 100 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. During 2011, the airline’s expansion plans include 15 new routes, of which 10 have already been launched. For more information on Qatar Airways, visit www.qatarairways.com

Qatar Airways’ June – November route expansion highlights are:

 New Routes:

 SHIRAZ, Iran: June 5                             Twice-weekly flights – carrier’s third destination in Iran

VENICE, Italy: June 15                           Daily non-stop flights take Italian network up to three cities

MONTREAL, Canada: June 29             Debut in Canada with introduction of thrice-weekly flights

MEDINA, Saudi Arabia: July 14            4-flights-a-week – airline’s fourth Saudi Arabian gateway                             

KOLKATA, India: July 27                        Daily flights increase Indian network to 12 destinations

SOFIA, Bulgaria: September 14:          4-flights-a-week strengthen Eastern European presence

OSLO, Norway: October 5:                     5-flights-a-week – airline’s third Scandinavian route

ENTEBBE, Uganda: November 2:        Daily non-stop flights

CHONGQING, China: November 28    3-flights-a-week – airline’s fifth Chinese gateway

BAKU, Azerbaijan: November 30:          Daily non-stop flights

TBILISI, Georgia, November 30:            Daily via Baku