Qatar Airways becomes the first airline ever to fly Airbus A350 to the Maldives
Award-winning airline launches its Airbus A350 starting 31 October
Doha, Qatar, 2017-Nov-05 — /Travel PR News/ — In a move that makes history, Qatar Airways is proud to announce that it is the first airline ever to fly the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 to the Maldives.
The airline has upgraded its current double-daily A330 service to an A350, with the first A350 beginning operations today and the second A350 service joining shortly afterwards on 3 November.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are proud to be the first airline to fly our Airbus A350 to the Maldives. As one of the airline’s most in-demand destinations, we are delighted to be upgrading our aircraft and providing our passengers with the ultimate comfort and services on board one of the most technologically innovative aircraft in the sky.”
Renowned worldwide for its pristine white-sandy beaches, idyllic diving spots and preserved natural wonders, the Maldives is truly one of the world’s most exotic and tranquil leisure destinations. The picture-perfect islands are located in the Indian Ocean and are just five hours from Doha.
Qatar Airways first launched service to the Maldives in December 2001. The airline operated the service using an A330 aircraft, which features 30 seats in Business Class and 275 in Economy Class.
Qatar Airways was the global launch customer of the Airbus A350 in January 2015. The award-winning airline has the largest fleet of this aircraft type of any airline in the world and currently operates 19 A350 aircraft across its global network to destinations, including Adelaide, Brussels, Geneva, Singapore and Tokyo. It was the first airline to fly the A350 to the United States and to Australia.
The Airbus A350 aircraft features a total of 283 seats, with 36 Business class seats and 247 in Economy Class. Thanks to the extra-wide cabin design, passengers on board are offered unparalleled comfort in both cabins, with Business Class fully flat beds and spacious seats in Economy.
With high-definition touch screens and dual-screen function that allows for simultaneous viewing, passengers can enjoy countless entertainment options through the airline’s award winning Oryx One entertainment system, as well as connect to the internet using the OnAir Wi-Fi service.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar is one of the fastest-growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its twentieth year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.
The award-winning airline has received a number of accolades this year, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, which was held at the Paris Air Show. This is the fourth time that Qatar Airways has been given this global recognition as the world’s best airline. In addition to being voted ‘Best Airline’ by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’
Doha – Maldives Flight Schedule:
Daily
Doha (DOH) to Maldives (MLE) QR672 departs: 02:10 arrives: 09:00
Maldives (MLE) to Doha (DOH) to QR673 departs: 10:15 arrives: 13:15
Doha (DOH) to Maldives (MLE) QR674 departs: 08:25 arrives: 15:15
Maldives (MLE) to Doha (DOH) to QR673 departs: 20:20 arrives: 23:20
For Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/qatarairways/albums/72157665685940559
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world’s fastest-growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017/18, including St. Petersburg, Russia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Canberra, Australia and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently named ‘Airline of the Year’ by the 2017 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class,’ ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves. Qatar Airways, the official FIFA partner, is the official sponsor of many top-level sporting events, including the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cups, reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message – Going Places Together.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest international cargo carrier, serves more than 60 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally with more than 200 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters, 12 Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747-8 freighter.
SOURCE: Qatar Airways
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200