Airline continues its robust expansion plans with launch of direct flights to Canberra, its fifth destination in Australia

Canberra service to stop in Sydney, creating a second daily flight into the city

Qatar Airways also operates daily service to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide

DOHA, Qatar – To celebrate the launch of Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, hosted a press conference today at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

At the press conference, H.E. Mr. Al Baker highlighted the award-winning airline’s robust expansion plans, as well as its commitment to bringing more travellers to Australia, and to connecting Canberrans to its extensive global network via the award-winning Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha.

“We are tremendously excited to launch our new daily service to Canberra, our fifth destination in Australia. Having inaugurated flights to Adelaide and Sydney in 2016, we quickly realised the need for further expansion of our footprint in Australia, and what better place than the capital, Canberra?

“This new daily service will without doubt offer our Australian passengers more convenience and an extensive choice of destinations on our global network, as they transit through our award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport.”

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who welcomed the arrival of the second international airline to service the capital, said: “It is wonderful to have Qatar Airways make the decision to come to Canberra in 2018 – a year in which our city was recognised as the third best city in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.”

Canberra Airport Managing Director, Mr. Stephen Byron, added: “We appreciate Qatar Airways’ strong support for the nation’s capital. An airline of this stature will further boost Canberra’s reputation as a leading tourist destination, on the back of record numbers of international visitors coming in 2017, and Lonely Planet nominating the city as a top three destination for 2018.”

The launch of a daily service to Canberra increases the airline’s number of flights a week into the country to 42. Qatar Airways already operates a daily service to Adelaide, Melbourne Perth and Sydney. The Canberra service will also stop in Sydney, where passengers can disembark, creating a second daily flight into the popular destination.

The recent ease in visa entry requirements for Australian nationals into Qatar has opened up this route to even more passengers wishing to experience Qatar, the hub of the award-winning airline, before continuing their onward journeys to one of the airline’s more than 150 business and leisure destinations across the world.

Canberra, Australia’s largest inland city, is home to Australia’s Parliament House, and offers a host of museums, galleries and monuments for visitors to explore. Canberra is especially renowned for its annual hot air balloon festival, the Canberra Balloon Spectacular, one of the most celebrated hot air balloon events in the world, extending over nine days.

With the airline launching a new daily service to Canberra, the total cargo capacity out of the Australian continent has increased to more than 630 tonnes per week. Qatar Airways Cargo offers exporters in Australia its innovative QR Fresh solution for the air freight of Australian meat and other perishable products throughout the world via its state-of-the-art hub in Doha. Its Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) offers the fastest shipment transfer at Hamad International Airport and the use of reefer vehicles at its hub ensures seamless temperature control for perishable products.

Qatar Airways will operate its daily Canberra service with a Boeing B777 aircraft, which features 42 flatbed seats in Business Class and 316 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will be able to enjoy the airline’s superior entertainment system offering passengers a wide variety of entertainment options.

Qatar Airways has added many new exciting destinations to its network in 2017/18, including Auckland, New Zealand; Dublin, Republic of Ireland; Nice, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Chiang Mai, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia, to name a few. The airline will continue its rapid expansion throughout 2018 by adding many more new destinations to its global route map, including Cardiff, United Kingdom; and Malaga, Spain and many more.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, with a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.

The award-winning airline has received a number of accolades recently, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, held at the Paris Air Show. This was the fourth time that Qatar Airways has been given this global recognition as the world’s best airline. In addition to being voted Best Airline by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.

Doha – Canberra Flights Schedule:

Daily

Doha (DOH) to Sydney (SYD) QR906 departs: 07:55 arrives: 06:25+1

Sydney (SYD) to Canberra (CBR) QR906 departs: 07:25 arrives: 08:35

Canberra (CBR) to Sydney (SYD) QR907 departs: 13:45 arrives: 14:45

Sydney (SYD) to Doha (DOH) QR907 departs: 15:55 arrives: 23:30

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About Canberra Airport

Canberra Airport serves Australia’s capital city. It was purchased from the federal government by the Snow family in 1998, when airports across the country were being privatised.

Terry Snow is the airport’s Chairman. His son Stephen Byron is Managing Director.

At the time of purchase, the airport was just a country-town airport.

Armed with a vision to transform it into the best small airport in the world, lengthy negotiations with the airlines which owned the terminals eventually allowed for a complete redevelopment of the airport precinct, based on a common user terminal.

Commencement of construction on stage one of the new terminal began in 2009, and in April 2014, at a cost of more than $500 million, the new terminal was officially opened by then Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The new terminal can accommodate eight million passengers per annum and with relatively modest additions, could cater for up to 12 million passengers per annum.

There are ten aerobridges, 14 aircraft parking bays, capacity for 46 check-in desks and 3,700 car spaces.

To ensure the passenger experience is as pleasurable as possible, Canberra Airport has been designed to be far more than a functional and efficient terminal.  It is also a place of interest, a place for social interaction, and a place of calm in what might be an otherwise stressful or emotional journey.

There are stunning water features, eye-catching sculptures, granite security benches, and stone check-in counters. Seating in domestic lounges includes leather ottomans. The international lounge has features you would expect to find in a business-class lounge, and includes European-styled furniture and desks.

The multi-award-winning airport has consistently been acknowledged for its contribution to the airport industry.  Its’ architectural and environmental credentials are particularly impressive. Canberra Airport was one of the first in Australia to install the highly energy efficient, trigeneration technology. This provides onsite generated electricity for heating and cooling.

It is the only curfew free airport between Brisbane and Melbourne capable of handling wide-bodied, long-range, B747 aircraft. 

Serving as a gateway to the nation’s capital and almost one million people along the New South Wales Coast and in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, a record 3 million plus passengers were at the terminal in 2017.

And with the Lonely Planet rating Canberra a top three destination to visit in 2018, along with the arrival of Qatar Airways in February, the airport looks forward to welcoming many more visitors.