Qatar Airways to start new flights to India and Australia

Qatar Airways Ltd., the state-owned carrier that has more than 200 Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS planes on order, is all set to open air routes to some Australian and Indian cities later this year in the winters.

Qatar Airways planes are expected to fly to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia Goa and Amritsar in the Indian subcontinent. The company plans to add routes to some European countries as well. The Doha-based carrier will increase frequency to selected destinations across its global network from the beginning of the Northern Summer 2009 schedules on March 29. The expansion was announced today at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel and tourism show being held in the German capital this week.”

There are currently eight Boeing 777s in Qatar Airways’ fleet of 68 aircraft. One of the two Boeing 777 Long Range version, Boeing 777-200 will soon make its first flight to Australia. The two routes that are to be opened to fly to the European countries are still to be announced.

The Federal Government has stayed supportive lately to the airlines allowing it to open 7 new routes, which would allow Qatar Airways to provide a total of 14 services a week to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. Earlier the airline was only allowed seven services a week, and access to Sydney was delayed for 12 months.

The Qatar Airlines had been granted permission to fly down under to Melbourne and Brisbane in March 2007 under the Howard government. but the airlines found it commercially non feasible to fly the route between London and Australia via its base in Doha without flying rights in Sydney.

The airline also looks to increase the number of flights to Geneva; Manila; Lagos, Nigeria; Algiers, Algeria; and Muscat, Oman.

“Qatar Airways’ robust expansion is continuing undeterred by the current economic climate,” Chief Executive Officer Akbar al Baker said at the news conference. The airline will add two routes to European cities in the months ahead, he said.

Qatar Airways currently operates 58 flights a week to nine cities across India – daily to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Kozhikode and twice-weekly to Nagpur. Names of Amritsar and the famous tourist destination, Goa has now been added to the list.

“India has been, and remains, one of our most important destinations and we are pleased to be strengthening economic and cultural ties with one of the world’s fastest growing economies. With the growth of the Indian economy into a potential global powerhouse and Qatar’s drive to spread its economic wings globally, increasing air links between the two countries is of paramount importance,” said Akbar al Baker about the airline’s plans to fly India.

Akbar al Baker was all praise about the airline’s success in the past few years, “Qatar Airways is well poised to face the challenges ahead. We have a long-term vision demonstrated by today’s announcement to build on our highly successful young operation – a remarkable feat for an airline which launched just 12 years ago.” he proudly remarked.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 68Airbus and Boeing aircraft to 83 diverse business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America.

Come 2012, Qatar Airways is expected to expand its Global network to the maximum, to beyond 100 cities worldwide with the opening of the New Doha International Airport.