QATAR SEEKS US IMMIGRATION PRE-CLEARANCE FOR HAMAD INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES
(Posted 03rd March 2014)
Following the agreement between Abu Dhabi and the United States, to establish a US Immigration pre-clearance outpost at the international airport in Abu Dhabi for flights by Etihad into the United States, are now news emerging that Qatar too is negotiating for a similar deal.
Etihad, following the agreement, has indicated an increase in flights to New York and the planned launch of flights to Los Angeles and to Dallas – Fort Worth later in the year, as the pre-clearance of passengers gives the airline a competitive edge, reducing waiting time on arrival in the US with passengers then only having to deal with customs clearance instead of queuing up, often for hours, to clear immigration. It is understood that Abu Dhabi is contributing the lions share of the cost for the new facility, but seeking a ‘payback’ over increased passenger numbers.
Qatar has according to information received now also commenced negotiations with the United States for a similar arrangement for flights from the new Hamad International Airport, when it opens later this year, clearly seeing an opportunity to attract more passengers too, joining into US bound flights via Doha. QR already flies to New York, Washington, Chicago and Houston and intends to add Philadelphia, Dallas – Fort Worth and Miami to the growing list of US destinations over the next few months.
In Eastern Africa Qatar Airways presently flies daily to Entebbe, Kigali and Kilimanjaro and operates multiple daily frequencies from Doha to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Excellent connectivity out of East Africa and a widened network of destinations in the US, combined with Skytrax 5 star rating and the most spacious cabin environment on the airline’s B787 and B777 aircraft, with a 3x3x3 configuration in economy class and a 2x2x2 configuration in business class, have convinced a growing number of passengers to fly with Qatar Airways. Should the pre-clearance negotiations be successful, and there is little doubt that this will happen sometime this year, will Qatar Airways have another competitive edge over their nearest rivals in not only the Gulf but also over the European legacy carriers, which all have to undergo immigration clearance on arrival in the US with presently only Ireland having been granted a pre-clearance status.
Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news affecting Eastern Africa.
