February 19, 2006: Qatar Airways has been voted the Best Airline in the Middle East by the readers of the US-based Global Traveler magazine. The laurel has given a fillip to the Doha-based airline as it has lined up plans to launch flights to the US.

The honour has come after readers participated in the survey, which ran in the magazine over a seven-month period from February 2006 to August 2006, aid a report. Qatar Airways picked up the prestigious award at the Jumeirah Essex House in New York, where Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO of Global Traveler, honoured all the winners at a gala ceremony, the report added.

Qatar Airways is all set t touch base in the US for the first time with scheduled flights between Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, and New York City. The airline officials are a happy lot as the award came calling even before it even started flying to the United States.

The honour has been seen by the airline brass as demonstrating that the American public is well travelled to all parts of the world and for a young and rapidly developing airline to be recognised as the Best in the Middle East is a wonderful recognition of its achievements.

Qatar Airways in fact flew into year2007 celebrating the 10th anniversary of its re-launch with nine new destinations planned during the year. Dar es Salaam, the commercial and financial centre of Tanzania, became the newest addition to Qatar Airways’ family of routes when direct non-stop services were launched to the city on January 9.

This year, Qatar Airways also plans to add Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lagos and two cities in eastern and northern Europe.