Qatar Airways reveals fourteen new destinations - including world’s longest flight
On the opening day of ITB Berlin, Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, confirmed the airline will launch the world’s longest flight, between Doha and Auckland, on December 3.
Along with the Auckland route, Qatar Airways’ first route to New Zealand, the Doha-based airline announced a significant network expansion of 14 new destinations, including five in Europe.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker addressing international media at the Qatar Airways ITB press conference. “These new destinations are where our customers want to go, and where we see the most opportunity to provide a best-in-class experience at great value. We look forward to growing our network and welcoming new passengers to Qatar Airways,” commented Mr. Al Baker. Qatar’s five new European destinations, all departing from its hub at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, are: Pisa, Italy daily from August 2; Sarajevo, Bosnia three-times weekly from September 7; Helsinki, Finland daily from October 10; Skopje, Macedonia three-times weekly from November; and Nice, France five-times weekly from summer 2017. The routes will be served by Qatar’s A320-family. Qatar Airways’ six new African destinations, all departing from Doha, are: Marrakech, Morocco three-times weekly from July with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner; Windhoek, Namibia four-times weekly form September 28; Seychelles daily from December 12; Douala, Cameroon and Libreville, Gabon three-times weekly from January; and Lusaka (Zambia) three-times weekly from summer 2017. Three new destinations in South West Pacific / Southeast Asia, departing from Doha, are: Auckland, New Zealand daily from December 3 with a Boeing 777- what will be the world’s longest flight; Krabi, Thailand three-times weekly from December 6; and Chiang Mai, Thailand three-times weekly from Deember. The addition of new routes is in parallel to the airlines rapid fleet growth, with an aircraft being delivered, on average, every 10 days, and a fleet that is less than four years old, the airline said in a press release. The airline also recently launched routes to Los Angeles and Sydney, with Boston and Birmingham, UK commencing this Month.