QATAR AIRWAYS MAKES GOOD OF PROMISE TO AFRICA FOR MORE CONNECTIONS
(Posted 19th February 2015)
When asked at the launch of the Airbus A350XWB in early January in Doha about the prospects for Africa did Qatar Airways’ Group CEO Akbar Al Baker promptly say that Africa was underserved and that the airline would continue to grow destinations and capacity to the continent.
True to his word has Qatar Airways now announced the addition of Durban in South Africa to their growing network spanning from Doha into Africa. Come December will South Africa’s main port city on the Indian Ocean get four flights per week, routing via Johannesburg to where the added flights will then up frequencies from the present10 to double daily. Durban is not only South Africa’s but Africa’s busiest port but has also gained fame as a major tourism city which sprang into the global spotlight during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Infrastructure upgrades and modernization of the Durban airport and the public transport system has since then seen more airlines fly to Durban and Qatar Airways’ adding flights later this year will go a long way to connect Durban to the world and the world to Durban.
Cape Town too will see more of Qatar Airways as from October onwards will the present five flights per week go up to daily frequencies. All services will be operated with QR’s state of the art Boeing B787 Dreamliners.
Said Mr. Al Baker when making the announcement yesterday: ‘At Qatar Airways we strive to provide our passengers with the best of service levels on ground and on board our modern fleet. We also provide our passengers with a strong global network of business and leisure destinations, and the city of Durban will be a welcome new addition to our extensive route map. Durban is an important gateway into South Africa and we are very confident that this route will be warmly welcomed like all our other routes in the African continent’.
Qatar Airways presently operates nearly 150 flights a week from their hub airport Hamad International in Doha to 19 African destinations and Durban will make it a round 20 when flights commence on the 17th of December.
Traffic days out of Doha for the flights to Durban were given as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, returning to Doha on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning in time for immediate onward connections into Europe, the Gulf, India and South Asia and the Far East.
