QATAR AIRWAYS – FIRST OUT OF THE BLOCKS AT ITB2015
(Posted 05th March 2015)
Qatar Airways yesterday upstaged all other airlines at ITB2015 when the airline was first out of the blocks in holding a press conference before a packed audience of German and international travel trade and aviation journalists. The event had a dual purpose, for one to celebrate 10 years of flights from Doha to Berlin and secondly of course to tell the world about the year it has been and the years to come.
2014 will be remembered by Qatar Airways’ and their passengers as the year when the airline took delivery of their first Airbus A380, followed in late December by a global first when the airline was the first in the world to receive the most advanced passenger jet todate, the Airbus A350 XWB.
Said Qatar Airways’ Group CEO Akbar Al Baker on the occasion yesterday: ‘The last 12 months have been characterised by significant fleet expansion for the airline, which is set to continue throughout 2015. This year we are pleased to be able to offer our passengers additional innovative new products within our broad destination network, most notably with the introduction of the world’s newest aircraft, the A350 XWB. It is fitting that we are back in Germany today, celebrating not only the recent launch of the A350 XWB on the Frankfurt route and the fact that this destination will soon be the recipient of the world’s second A350 XWB, but also acknowledging the 10-year anniversary of our Berlin route’.
Those attending the press conference were also updated on the latest amenities on board for First, Business and Economy Class passengers. First Class passengers will now enjoy luxurious male and female sleeper suits from Italian designer Missoni, complemented by amenity kits by Giorgio Armani. Business Class passengers will also enjoy Giorgio Armani amenity kits, tailored to male or female passengers and enjoy newly introduced Ladurée Parisian delicacies, available in both First and Business cabins, while Economy Class passengers will also benefit from a newly designed amenity kit.
Qatar Airways is also doubling its movie content on board this spring, with a selection of over 500 movies to enjoy, including the world’s latest premieres, while increasing its selection of TV programmes from 700 to over 1,500, including the latest box sets, complementing its range of over 200 CDs and 50 games, which cater for all ages.
As the global launch customer for the new Airbus A350 XWB, the first flight of the all-new family of wide-body aircraft took place on 15 January 2015 on the Frankfurt – Doha route, and it will soon be joined by Qatar Airways’ second A350 XWB, taking this service with the world’s newest aircraft to double-daily.
With a total of 80 A350 XWB aircraft on order, the airline is one of the world’s fastest growing and has one of the most modern fleets in the sky. Mr. Akbar Al Baker also announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline to operate the A350 XWB to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region from June this year, adding the airline’s third, fourth and fifth A350 XWB aircraft on the three daily flights to Singapore.
All this is good news of course for Qatar Airways’ passengers from East Africa, where the airline presently serves Nairobi and Dar es Salaam with two flights a day, while Entebbe, Kigali and Kilimanjaro receive a daily flight. Demand in particular on the Doha to Entebbe and on to Kigali route remains strong, giving hope for these two destinations to sooner rather than later getting additional frequencies to cater for the growing number of travelers wanting to connect via Doha’s sparkling new Hamad International Airport to the global Qatar Airways network.
For breaking and regular aviation news from Eastern Africa look no further than this space.
