Qatar Airways celebrates 10 successful years of service in Bulgaria

Award-winning airline announces plans to resume non-stop flights to the capital of Bulgaria from Doha later this year

DOHA, Qatar, 2021-Sep-15 — /Travel PR News/ — Qatar Airways marked a milestone in its history with Bulgaria, celebrating 10 successful years since its first flight between Doha and Sofia Airport (SOF) on 14 September 2011.

The service is currently operated by Qatar Airways’ modern Airbus A320 featuring 12 seats in Business Class offering the luxurious 79-inch long, 21-inch wide 180° lie-flat bed, and 120 seats in Economy Class. All benefit from the famous Oryx One on-demand in-flight entertainment system.

Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have long been proud to serve Bulgaria and connect this beautiful country with our global route network. I knew when we first began flying to Sofia that this was the start of a strong and enduring relationship. Over the years we have witnessed the benefits of our services to Bulgaria that extend well beyond our mission of bringing people together. Our flights have enabled travellers from around the world to experience Bulgaria’s hospitality and cultural history while supporting the export of Bulgarian products to overseas markets.

“It is a testament to both strong demand and our deep commitment to the country, that we are set to recommence direct flights between Doha and Sofia, from December this year.”

Sofia Airport’s Chief Executive Officer CEO Jesus Caballero said: “We are extremely happy that we are serving the Doha to Sofia route with our partner Qatar Airways. It allows business and leisure customers to explore our beautiful capital of Bulgaria or the seaside cities of Varna and Bourgas thanks to the codeshare between Qatar Airways and Bulgaria Air with flight connections from Sofia. Our long-term partnership with Qatar Airways means so much to us and we look forward to strengthening it especially in 2022 when the FIFA World Cup™ will take place in Qatar.”

The flights have also helped boost Bulgarian trade connections over the past decade and currently Qatar Airways Cargo offers more than 10 tonnes cargo capacity each week, each way on flights operating on the route.

Qatar Airways milestones in Bulgaria:

2011 – The airline began flying to Sofia four times a week via Bucharest, Romania using an A320.

2012 – Increased flights to five times a week.

2014 – Start of daily service between Sofia and Doha.

2015 – The flights were tagged with a stop in Belgrade, Serbia.

2016 – Direct flights began increasing to double daily before the start of the pandemic.

2020 – March, Qatar Airways signs a codeshare agreement with Bulgaria Air

2020 – October, flights resume post-Covid 19, as a tag on service with Bucharest, Romania.

2021 – From 16 December, flights are set to run non-stop again from Doha to Sofia, four times a week.

Bulgaria has placed a strong emphasis on an environmentally responsible recovery from the pandemic, and Qatar Airways equally recognises the importance of environmental leadership to save our planet. The airline is constantly exploring sustainable approaches to aviation, and its investments in the most fuel-efficient aircraft – including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 – underscore Qatar Airways’ commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The award-winning service that has earned Qatar Airways the accolade of Airline of the Year is delivered by a cosmopolitan flight and cabin crew, including Bulgarian nationals who have a strong tradition of serving the airline.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations. With more frequencies being added to key hubs, Qatar Airways offers unrivalled connectivity to passengers, making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination as required. And of course, customers can benefit from the flexible booking conditions which are now in place until May 2022.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ in the latest World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. The airline’s hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), was recently recognised as the ‘Best Airport in the World 2021’, ranking at number one in the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2021.

Qatar Airways is the first global airline to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax. This follows the success of Hamad International Airport (HIA) as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. Full details of the measures implemented on board and at HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

Current Sofia Flight Schedule: 7x per week (local timings)

Doha (DOH) to Sofia (SOF) QR 395 departs: 08:30 arrives: 15:35 (one stop in Bucharest for one hour)

Sofia (SOF) to Doha (DOH) QR 396 departs: 16:35 arrives: 23:15 (one stop in Bucharest for one hour)

Sofia Flight Schedule From 16 December: 4x per week non-stop (subject to confirmation)

Doha (DOH) to Sofia (SOF) QR 227 departs: 07:30 arrives: 11:35 non-stop

Sofia (SOF) to Doha (DOH) QR 228 departs: 12:35 arrives: 18:15 non-stop

Notes to Editors:

About Qatar Airways: 

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. Qatar Airways is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted “Skytrax Airline of the Year” title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.

Hamad International Airport (HIA), the airline’s home and hub, was recently announced as the “World’s Best Airport” in the Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards. HIA has been steadily rising in the ‘World’s Best Airports’ rankings since the start of its operations in 2014.

Qsuite, a patented Qatar Airways product, features the industry’s first-ever double bed in Business Class, as well as privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry.

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 160 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, B777, A350, 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 World Cup Qatar 2022TM, 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, one of the world’s leading international air cargo carriers, serves more than 60 freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight in the belly-hold deck of passenger aircraft to an extensive network. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes two Boeing 747-8 freighters, 24 Boeing 777 freighters and six B777-300ER mini freighters.

Qatar Executive is the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group. Luxury jet services are available for worldwide charter on board the operator’s wholly-owned business jet fleet. Qatar Executive is the launch customer for Gulfstream’s G700, the world’s first commercial service operator of the Gulfstream G500 and largest commercial operator of the G650ER worldwide. Qatar Executive’s service portfolio also includes aircraft management, maintenance and Fixed Based Operator services.

For further information, please contact:

Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200
Email:  qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa

Source: Qatar Airways

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