Qatar Airways inaugurates service from Doha to the capital city of Australia, Canberra
- Canberra is the airline’s fifth gateway into Australia
- Airline now proudly flies the Boeing B777 featuring the award-winning Business Class seat, Qsuite, to Canberra, connecting Canberrans to the airline’s global network of more than 150 destinations
DOHA, Qatar , 2018-Feb-15 — /Travel PR News/ — The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, touched down today at Canberra Airport, where it was welcomed with a celebratory water cannon salute. Qatar Airways flight QR906 departed Hamad International Airport (HIA) on Sunday 11 February at 07:55, and arrived at Canberra Airport at 08:35 on Monday morning.
On board the inaugural Qatar Airways flight to Canberra, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, was joined by the Australian Ambassador to the State of Qatar, His Excellency Mr. Axel Wabenhorst. The VIP delegation was greeted upon arrival by Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Hon Steven Ciobo; the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Australia, His Excellency Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa; Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister Mr. Andrew Barr MLA; Canberra Airport Chairman, Mr. Terry Snow; and Managing Director of Canberra Airport, Mr. Stephen Byron.
H.E. Mr. Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to be expanding its reach in Australia by launching our fifth gateway into this beautiful country. In 2016, we launched flights to Sydney and Adelaide, clearly demonstrating our commitment to the people of Australia. We are extremely happy to be offering our loyal Australian passengers the chance to explore the newest and most exciting destinations we have added to our global network in the past year, including many European cities such as Dublin, Kyiv, Prague and St. Petersburg. We are also confident that Australian travellers will be as excited as we are about our many upcoming new destinations set to launch this year, including Cardiff, United Kingdom; Malaga, Spain and Mykonos, Greece.”
ACT Chief Minister, Mr. Andrew Barr, who welcomed the arrival of the second international airline to service the capital, said: “It is wonderful that Qatar Airways has made the decision to come to Canberra in 2018 – a year in which our city was recognised as the third best city in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.”
Canberra Airport Managing Director, Mr. Stephen Byron, said: “We are delighted to welcome Qatar Airways to Canberra Airport, the second international airline to come to Canberra. For the first time, Canberrans and around one million people living in our wider region will now have daily access to Qatar Airways’ global network of more than 150 destinations, via a short stopover in Sydney.”
On the day of the official arrival in Canberra, H.E. Mr. Al Baker attended official meetings with Australia’s Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment, Hon. Mr. Steven Ciobo, at Parliament House. During the meetings the new flight to Canberra as well as the airline’s ongoing commitment to growth in Australia were discussed.
Qatar Airways will operate its daily Canberra service with a Boeing B777 aircraft, which features 42 flatbed seats in Business Class and 316 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will be able to enjoy the airline’s superior entertainment system offering a wide variety of entertainment options.
The inaugural flight was operated by a Boeing B777 fitted with the airline’s revolutionary Qsuite. Qsuite includes an abundance of Business Class extravagance, including the industry’s first fully lie-flat double bed in Business Class, a revolutionary quad design offering passengers a private and fully adaptable space – the first and only of its kind – in addition to movable TV monitors and privacy dividers, which transform the space into an area perfect for socialising.
With the airline launching a new daily service to Canberra, its fifth destination in Australia, the total cargo capacity out of the Australian continent has increased to more than 630 tonnes per week. Qatar Airways Cargo offers exporters in Australia its innovative QR Fresh solution for the air freight of Australian meat and other perishable products throughout the world via its state-of-the-art hub in Doha. Its Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) offers the fastest shipment transfer at Hamad International Airport and the use of reefer vehicles at its hub ensures seamless temperature control for perishable products.
Qatar Airways added many new exciting destinations to its network in 2017, including Auckland, New Zealand; Dublin, Republic of Ireland; Nice, France; Prague, Czech Republic, with direct service to Cardiff, United Kingdom, Mykonos, Greece and Malaga, Spain set to launch this year.
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 recent accolades, 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 – Canberra Flights Schedule:
Daily
Doha (DOH) to Sydney (SYD) QR906 departs: 07:55 arrives: 06:25+1
Sydney (SYD) to Canberra (CBR) QR906 departs: 07:25 arrives: 08:35
Canberra (CBR) to Sydney (SYD) QR907 departs: 13:45 arrives: 14:45
Sydney (SYD) to Doha (DOH) QR907 departs: 15:55 arrives: 23:30
Notes to Editors:
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 Canberra, Australia; Penang, Malaysia and 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 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, 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