Award-winning airline celebrates its fifth anniversary at Salalah Airport with a water cannon salute
Qatar’s national carrier has been flying to Oman since 2000
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways is pleased to celebrate its five-year anniversary of operating direct flights from Doha to Salalah, Oman. On 15 May, the award-winning airline commemorated this milestone with a celebratory water cannon salute at Salalah International Airport.
Salalah is a unique destination in the region, offering fruit plantations, beautiful beaches, traditional souqs and archaeological sites, all scattered across a landscape that fuses the tropical with the desert. Salalah is especially known for its numerous cultural attractions, including the ‘Al Baleed’ archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage site that hosts the ruins of the 12th-century trading post of Zafar, and the Frankincense Museum where visitors can learn more about Salalah's history in the frankincense trade.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to celebrate five years of flying to beautiful Salalah this month. Salalah is a highly-sought after destination for passengers wishing to experience Oman’s greenery and breathtaking natural beauty. Oman itself draws a great number of business and leisure travellers seeking to enjoy the many hidden treasures this city has to offer. We look forward to introducing more visitors to Oman, and connecting our customers from Oman to more than 150 destinations on our rapidly expanding global network.”
Qatar’s national carrier has been flying to Oman since 2000, when it first began services to the city of Muscat. In 2013, Salalah was added to the airline’s expanding network as the second destination, followed by Sohar in 2017.
Due to high demand, Qatar Airways is adding two additional frequencies to Muscat in April and June. The new frequencies will take the airline’s number of weekly flights to Oman to 70 weekly, including 49 flights to Muscat, 14 flights to Salalah and seven flights to Sohar. The additional frequencies will also provide passengers increased connectivity to in-demand destinations such as Bangkok, Beirut, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manila, Baku, Bali, Istanbul, Colombo, Phuket, Kolkata, Jakarta, and Chennai, to name just a few.
One of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents. As part of its continued expansion plans, the airline also recently commenced service to both Chiang Mai and Pattaya, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia and Canberra, Australia. The airline plans to launch a host of new destinations in 2018-19, including London Gatwick, United Kingdom; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Cebu and Davao, Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece and Málaga, Spain.
Notes to Editors:
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating more than 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world’s fastest-growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2018, including Thessaloniki, Greece; Cardiff, UK and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘Airline of the Year’ by the 2017 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class,’ ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. 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, with 14,250 daily departures.
Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 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, the official FIFA partner, is the official sponsor of many top-level sporting events, including the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cups, 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 60 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally with more than 200 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters, 13 Boeing 777 freighters and two Boeing 747-8 freighters.
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200