Qatar Airways inaugurates flights to Thessaloniki
- The award-winning airline’s Airbus A320 was greeted by a celebratory water cannon salute followed by a traditional welcome ceremony
- Qatar Airways’ expedited expansion strategy in Europe continues with the airline’s commitment to Greece, with service to Mykonos commencing in May
DOHA, Qatar, 2018-Mar-28 — /Travel PR News/ — Qatar Airways’ first flight to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, proudly touched down at Thessaloniki International Airport ‘Makedonia’ today, as the airline’s Airbus A320 was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute, followed by welcome ceremony for VIP delegates. The new four times-weekly service from Doha to the airline’s second gateway in Greece commenced just one month ahead of the launch of its third destination in Greece, the beautiful island of Mykonos.
The VIP delegation on board the flight, led by Qatar Airways Group representative, Captain Jassim Al-Haroon, Vice President Operations Amiri Flight, included H.E. Mr. Constantinos Orphanides, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in State of Qatar, and was welcomed by H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Naama, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Hellenic Republic; Mr. Yiannis Boutaris, Mayor of Thessaloniki; and Fraport Greece Executive Director of Commercial and Business Development, Mr. George Vilos.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways’ new service to Thessaloniki will help reinforce links between the State of Qatar and Greece, and deepen the friendship and co-operation between our two great countries. Our second gateway in Greece, Thessaloniki is a major tourist destination all year round offering access to some of Greece’s most famous resorts. We are delighted to support Greece’s tourism industry by providing more global travellers the opportunity to visit this iconic city.”
Mr. Alexander Zinell, Fraport Greece Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to welcome Qatar Airways to Thessaloniki ‘Makedonia’ Airport and the first ever-scheduled flights to and from Thessaloniki and Doha. The decision by our new airline partner, Qatar Airways, is a clear indication of the Thessaloniki ‘Makedonia’ Airport growth potential. Passengers from Northern Greece and the Balkans can now benefit from direct flights linking Thessaloniki with the international hub of Doha and beyond. We look forward to working closely with Qatar Airways and support them in ensuring the success of the new route.”
Qatar Airways has been operating to Athens since June 2005, and in 2015 increased its service to the Greek capital from twice daily to three times daily to meet growing demand. The Athens route is operated by a mix of the airline’s state-of-the-art aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In January 2018, Qatar Airways was also the first airline to bring the Airbus A350 to the city. The first flights to Thessaloniki will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class.
Qatar Airways’ robust growth strategy in Europe continues, with service to Mykonos commencing in May. The launch of these additional two gateways into Greece confirms the airline’s strong commitment to boosting tourism in Greece, especially from regions with strong Greek populations such as Australia and the Middle East. With the launch of service to Mykonos, the award-winning airline will operate 58 times a week between the five-star Hamad International Airport (HIA) and Greece.
The new gateway will connect Thessaloniki to Qatar Airways’ global network, through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha, to more than 150 business and leisure destinations including Qatar, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Vietnam. In 2018-19, Qatar Airways will be adding many more exciting new destinations to its network, including London Gatwick and Cardiff, United Kingdom; Lisbon, Portugal; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Cebu and Davao, Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum, Antalya and Hatay, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece and Málaga, Spain.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar is one of the fastest-growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world, with 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 recently, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, 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 – Thessaloniki Flight Schedule:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays
Doha (DOH) to Thessaloniki (SKG) QR205 departs: 07:40 arrives: 12:50
Thessaloniki (SKG) to Doha (DOH) to QR206 departs: 13:50 arrives: 18:40
Notes to Editors:
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating more than 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 2018, including Thessaloniki, Greece; Cardiff, UK and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was 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, 13 Boeing 777 freighters and two Boeing 747-8 freighters.
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200
+974 4022 5350
qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
SOURCE: Qatar Airways