QATAR AIRWAYS WRAPS UP MOMENTOUS WEEK AT FARNBOROUGH

Qatar Airways’ new Boeing 787 takes to the skies at Farnborough.

Qatar Airways’ popular Facebook page had a dedicated link which enabled easy access for viewers to watch live broadcast of the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight display on the first three days of the show. Tens of thousands of viewers watched the broadcast and engaged in live-chat, all appreciating the incredible appeal of the new generation aircraft.

It is the first time in Boeing’s 28 year history that an aircraft by the manufacturer has participated in a flying display, enthralling more than 120,000 visitors at the show, comprising of guests from the travel trade, media and global aviation enthusiasts.

Qatar Airways remained hugely popular all through the event as it is the Middle East launch customer of the Dreamliner aircraft. The video of the official unveiling was an instant hit among fans of the Airline’s Facebook page, receiving the highest number of shares & likes than ever before.

Crowds gather at Farnborough for a glimpse of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner in Qatar Airways’ colours.

Qatar Airways also introduced a special Twitter hash-tag (#Qatar787), which took off during the show by thousands of Twitter users around the globe.

The airline’s commemorative Facebook cover also made a splash, depicting the Dreamliner flying over a beautifully-lit London skyline.

For links to videos on Qatar Airways’ official unveiling of its Boeing 787 aircraft and the airline’s validation flight, please visitwww.youtube.com/qatarairways. You may also find Qatar Airways onwww.twitter.com/qatarairways and www.facebook.com/qatarairways.

Qatar Airways once again proved that it is a favourite among today’s global travellers by also winning key important awards at the event – the most coveted Skytrax Airline of the Year award for the second year running, Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year and the Best Airline Staff Service award in the Middle East.

International media tour Qatar Airways’ new Boeing 787 at the Farnborough Air Show.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker who has been instrumental in shaping the airline into what it is today was also honoured with an Airline Business accolade for leadership.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operation, currently operating a modern fleet of 109 aircraft to 117 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Since the beginning of the year, Qatar Airways has launched flights to Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad, and most recently, Perth (Australia) with many more destinations planned during 2012.

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways launches services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (July 25); Mombasa, Kenya (August 15); Yangon, Myanmar (October 3); Maputo, Mozambique (October 31) and a date yet-to-be-announced to the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Notes to Editors

Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over US$50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft. Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. In addition to winning Skytrax’s prestigious Airline of the Year 2011 award last summer, Qatar Airways was named Best Airline in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row, and its Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport was named Best Premium Service Airport for the second consecutive year in 2012.

For further information

Qatar Airways Group Corporate Communications
Tel: +974 – 44302072, Fax: +974 – 44302069
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
Web: www.qatarairways.com