* The national airline will operate over 650 weekly flights to more than 85 destinations by mid-September
Qatar Airways will operate over 650 weekly flights to more than 85 destinations by mid-September, offering “more global connectivity” than any other airline.
The national carrier continues to lead the industry in providing global connectivity by resuming flights to just over half the destinations it operated pre-Covid-19.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Qatar Airways network has never fallen below 30 destinations with continuous services to five continents.
During September, the airline will resume flights to the following destinations- Houston (three weekly flights started September 2 increasing to four weekly from September 15), Kathmandu (one weekly flight starting September 5), Mogadishu (three weekly flights starting September 6), Philadelphia (three weekly flights starting September 16) and
Sialkot (three weekly flights started September 1).
The airline’s variety of fuel-efficient efficient aircraft and strategic network management has also enabled it to increase frequencies in the following destinations, providing more flexible travel options to passengers: Ankara (increased to daily from September 1), Baghdad (increasing to 11 weekly flights from September 3), Basra (increased to daily flights from September 2), Djibouti (increasing to six weekly flights from September 6), Erbil (increasing to 11 weekly flights from September 3), Ho Chi Minh City (increasing to daily flights from September 15), London Heathrow (increased to four daily flights from September 1), New York JFK (increased to double daily flights from September 1), Sulaymaniyah (increased to daily flights from September 2).
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said, “We are proud to be the leading global airline connecting passengers with the world, operating one of the youngest, most fuel-efficient and sustainable fleets to take people safely to where they need to be. The gradual rebuilding of our network has been focused on strengthening connections between our hub in Doha and key gateways around the world as well as major business and leisure destinations.
“The resumption of flights to Philadelphia will provide seamless connections via our US partners to several key domestic points such as Atlanta, Detroit and Miami. Similarly, the increase in frequencies to Djibouti, Ho Chi Minh City, London and New York will provide further air freight capacity to these important trade and economic centres.
“The recovery of international travel will take time but returning to over 50% of our pre-Covid-19 network is a significant milestone. Restoring passenger confidence is key, and we are proud to lead the industry by offering one of the most flexible and generous booking policies that enables customers to plan their travel with confidence. By continuing to fly during the pandemic while others stopped, we have gained the trust of passengers as an airline they can rely on.
“We have taken more international passengers home than any other airline during this pandemic and as entry restrictions ease and we resume more of our pre-Covid-19 network, we remain focused on our fundamental mission of carrying passengers across the globe safely and reliably. There are still millions of people who have not seen their friends and families for months and our growing network allows them to travel home or take a trip to see loved ones.
“With a young fleet of fuel efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 operating the majority of the current network, Qatar Airways continues to offer passengers a sustainable solution for their travel plans.
“We also remain in close contact with Australian authorities regarding flight restrictions as ensuring the ongoing repatriation of passengers to the country is becoming increasingly challenging. Despite the restrictions on passengers allowed to be carried into the country, we continue to fulfil our mission to facilitate ongoing repatriation for as many people as possible by operating a robust Australian network to five cities, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne (currently no inbound passengers permitted), Perth and Sydney, offering more flights than any other international airline.
“While other airlines grounded operations, we maintained our flights, carrying almost 40% of all international travellers to and from Australia between April and June 2020, helping to take over 180,000 Australian and international travellers home since the start of the crisis. These flights have also helped maintain vital supply chains for Australian businesses with our airline carrying over 15,000 tonnes of Australian goods since 1 March 2020.”
To ensure travellers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination.
The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before December 31, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to December 31 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance. For full terms and conditions visit qatarairways.com/RelyOnUs.
According to the latest IATA data, Qatar Airways has become the largest international carrier between April and June by fulfilling its mission of taking people home. This enabled the airline to accumulate unmatched experience in carrying passengers safely and reliably and uniquely positioned the airline to effectively rebuild its network. The carrier has stringently implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures on board its aircraft and in Hamad International Airport.
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‘Qatar Airways deserves additional frequencies’
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive HE Akbar al-Baker has said his airline “should be considered to be given a reasonable amount of additional frequencies so that we will be able to keep connecting the Australian people to the outside world.”
“We are a global connector for the people of Australia. And we are part of the Qantas alliance- we are part of oneworld,” al-Baker said in his comments on expanding Australian services during the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit.
