Airline Announces Thrice-Weekly Flights To Chengdu In Sichuan Province
China Frequency Rises To 41 Services A Week With New Route From Doha
Doha, QATAR – 2012-12-05 — /travelprnews.com/ — Qatar Airways today announced plans to launch scheduled flights to Chengdu – its sixth gateway in the People’s Republic of China, beginning March 19 next year.
The Doha-based airline will operate three-flights-a-week to the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China taking its total weekly frequency across the country to 41 non-stop services spread across six cities.
Qatar Airways has built up a solid operation in China over the years, currently operating 38 flights each week from its Doha hub to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Hong Kong.
Today’s news is Qatar Airways’ sixth route announcement so far for 2013. Flights to Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Najaf in Iraq, Oman’s tourist spot of Salalah, Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and Chicago – the carrier’s fourth US gateway – are being launched between January and May with further start-ups planned during the year.
With a catchment population of 28 million people, Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation and communication hubs in western China and deemed among the top 10 cities for investment out of 280 across the country.
Chengdu is the country’s western centre of logistics, commerce, finance, science and technology, as well as a hub for transportation, communication, manufacturing and agriculture.
The city has a strong industrial base, including heavy manufacturing, aluminum smelting and chemicals. Textiles are an important industry with cotton, wool milling and traditional manufacturing of silk and satin among the key business sectors.
Sichuan Province is also home to one of the rarest animals – the giant panda. In order to protect wild giant pandas, nature reserves have been established in and around Chengdu, including the Sichuan Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, the largest of its kind in the world.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Chengdu is another key city in a vibrant economy looking for more air capacity and we are delighted to announce our operations there from March next year.
“We are confident of buoyant business on the route, appealing to vital traffic flows linking South America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East to an important gateway in China – in fact our sixth gateway of Chengdu.
“China is a market that is growing in stature and Qatar Airways will continue to tap into opportunities to expand our presence and provide more choice for our passengers travelling on business or leisure to or from China.”
“We look forward to welcoming our sixth new route of 2013 into the Qatar Airways’ family with many more to be announced during the course of the next few weeks and months,” he added.
Qatar Airways will operate an Airbus A330 in a two-class configuration of 24 seats in Business and 236 in Economy on the Doha – Chengdu route. The aircraft features seatback TV screens providing all passengers in both cabins with the next generation interactive onboard entertainment system – a choice of more than 800 audio and video on demand options.
| The DOHA – CHENGDU schedules (effective March 19) | ||
| Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays | ||
| Depart Doha | QR884 at 0245 hrs | arrive Chengdu at 1440 hrs |
| Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays | ||
| Depart Chengdu | QR885 at 0100 hrs | arrive Doha at 0455 hrs |
One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 114 aircraft to 121 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
Since the beginning of 2012, Qatar Airways has launched flights to 11 new destinations – Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad (Iraq), Perth (Australia), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania); Yangon (Myanmar), Maputo (Mozambique) and Belgrade (Serbia).
Over the next few weeks and months, Qatar Airways will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Warsaw, Poland (December 5), Gassim, Saudi Arabia (7 January 2013); Najaf, Iraq (January 23); Phnom Penh, Cambodia (February 20); Chicago, USA (April 10); and Salalah, Oman (May 22).
Notes to Editors
Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over US$50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft. In addition to winning Skytrax’s prestigious Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012, Qatar Airways was named Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh year in a row, and its Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport was named Best Premium Service Airport for the second consecutive year in 2012. Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. In October 2012, Qatar Airways became the first of the major Gulf carriers to officially join a global alliance having been invited into the oneworld group.
For further information
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 44302072, Fax: +974 44302069
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
Website: www.qatarairways.com
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Qatar Airways Airbus A330 To Serve Chengdu