- Award-winning airline continues to demonstrate strong growth and expansion as passenger demand increases
- Weekly capacity to and from Colombo route increased by 20 per cent
DOHA, Qatar, 2017-Jul-28 — /Travel PR News/ — Qatar Airways has announced it will introduce a fourth daily non-stop service from Doha to Colombo from 1 August, 2017. In addition two of the four daily flights will be serviced by the B777-300ER aircraft to accommodate the increased travel demand to and from Sri Lanka.
The increased frequency and aircraft upgauge will boost overall capacity to and from Colombo by 3,136 seats weekly, a 20 per cent increase from current weekly capacity.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to be able to cater to the buoyant leisure and business travel demand by increasing our frequency and capacity to Colombo, the gateway to Sri Lanka and one of the most vibrant cities in South Asia. Besides our acclaimed inflight service, our passengers can now also enjoy our modern B777 aircraft when they travel with us on our non-stop service to Doha and onward to destinations in Europe, Americas and the Middle East. The additional frequency will provide passengers with even greater flexibility and convenience when planning their next trip with Qatar Airways.”
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Development the Hon. John Amaratunga said: “Tourism is expected to be one of Sri Lanka’s major growth engines as we seek to further strengthen our economy. Sri Lanka, Asia’s leading destination for 2017, has a wealth of places waiting for travellers to discover. With the support of major carriers like Qatar Airways which has invested additional capacity, we are confident that Sri Lanka can achieve the target of 2.5 million tourists this year.”
The Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER features 24 Business Class seats and 388 seats in Economy Class. Besides a spacious environment throughout the entire aircraft, passengers across both cabins can enjoy up to 3,000 entertainment options throughout their journey with Qatar Airways extensive Oryx One collections.
Business Class passengers can relax in their comfortable, fully-flat beds with 78 inches of seat pitch. The on-demand à la carte menu service, luxurious Bric’s amenity kits coupled with Qatar Airways cabin crew’s renowned Arabian hospitality will ensure passengers arrive at their destination feeling refreshed and energised.
Qatar Airways 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. Now in its twentieth year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.
DOH- CMB Daily Flights
| Flight number | Scheduled time of departure | Scheduled time of Arrival |
| QR 664 | 02:10 | 09:55 |
| QR 654 | 08:00 | 15:45 |
| QR 668 | 18:00 | 01:45+1 |
| QR 662 – new | 18:50 | 02:55+1 |
CMB-DOH Daily Flights
| Flight number | Scheduled time of departure | Scheduled time of Arrival |
| QR 665 | 11:25 | 14:00 |
| QR 655 | 21:20 | 23:59 |
| QR 669 | 03:10 | 05:45 |
| QR 663 – new | 03:55 | 06:45 |
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 fast growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017/18, including Dublin, Nice, Skopje, Sarajevo and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of 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 3,000 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 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 200 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters, 12 Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747 freighter.
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200
Source: Qatar Airways