Qatar Airways is celebrating 10 years serving Australia this month with some amazing fare deals to Europe’s top destinations. Qatar Airways became of paramount importance for the authorities particularly after the GCC countries imposed a unilateral blockade on the tiny gas-rich country. There have been several agreements the airways has signed with other countries in the past few months.
Qatar Airways has been crowned the best airline in the world for 2019, according to the consumer-aviation website Skytrax. The airline moved up one spot from the 2018 list, when it ranked second behind Singapore Airlines, which was placed second on this year’s list. The website ranked airlines based on over 21 million survey responses from airline passengers.
Report: Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways switch places in this latest Skytrax ranking of the world’s best airlines, announced at the 2019 World Airline Awards held at Paris Air Show. https://t.co/f5EqzpUnGJ
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 20, 2019
Notably, on June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic ties and trade relations with Qatar, closing land, air and sea links, as they accused Doha of supporting “terrorism” and their regional rival, Iran. Doha vehemently denies the charges and says the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty. Qatar proved to be a self-reliant state by expanding its ties with Turkey. It also paid attention to coming out as a new global tourist destination and sport-loving nation.
Interestingly, bookings are open from December 3 until December 31, 2019, and return fares (Economy Class) include Sydney to Rome from $1,189, Melbourne to Athens from $1,279, Adelaide to Paris from $1,219 and Perth to Dublin from $1,129.
But going further back in time Qatar Airways took a very conservative approach to its growth starting with one Airbus A310 and one Boeing 767 and 75 staff on November 22, 1993.
Read more: Will Qatar Airways buy new Rwandan international airport?
Operations began on January 20, 1994, and the first services were to Amman in Jordan in May of that year. By April 1995 the network included destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Cairo, Dubai, Khartoum, Kuwait, Madras, Manila, Muscat, Sharjah, Taipei, Tokyo, and Trivandrum.
To start with the airline used leased aircraft for its considered expansion but in 1998 it placed a firm order with Airbus for six Airbus A320s. However, with the basis of a solid airline proven, in 2001 Qatar Airways became Airbus’s ninth customer for the A380 with an order for two and two options.
But that was just a taste of what was to come. At the 2003 Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways placed an order with Airbus valued at US$5.1 billion for 18 aircraft and in the same year it became the first airline to be audited under the new IATA operational safety audit (IOSA) program.
In 2007 the airline stamped itself as a major global player with an order for 80 Airbus A350 XWBs and 65 Boeing 787s and 27 777s and these are the fleets that have been the bedrock of the airline’s expansion over the past 10 years.
Qatar Airways on its way to expand business
Qatar Airways has partnered with Katara Hospitality — the global hotel owner, developer, and operator — as a hotel partner for the special packages. The airline is offering special packages to those visiting the country.
“A memorable experience awaits guests of all ages with distinguished hotels across Qatar including The Ritz-Carlton, Doha; Sheraton Grand Doha; Sharq Village & Spa; Al Messila Resort & Spa; Simaisma Resort; Sealine Beach Resort; The Avenue Hotel; and Movenpick Hotel Doha,” a statement from the organizers said.
For visitors travelling to Doha, QA Holidays is offering special packages that will cover flights, hotels, airport transfers and concert tickets. #Qatar #QatarAirways #Doha #QatarLive https://t.co/tVh4hVe78f
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) November 20, 2019
Qatar Airways and Air Italy, a privately owned Italian airline collectively announced their decision to strengthen ties by expanding their code-sharing agreement in August this year.
Air Italy’s “IG” code will be added to Qatar flights between Doha and Sydney as a result of the extension of the existing agreement between the two companies.
Qatar and Air Italy have code-shared since the latter’s conception in 2018. IG flights shared with Qatar include those between Doha and Rome (Fiumicino), Pisa, Venice, Singapore and the Maldives. Qatar Airways flights shared with Air Italy include those between Milan and Fiumicino, Naples, Olbia, and Lamezia.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the government of Qatar have signed a protocol amending and supplementing the agreement on air traffic. Recently, Qatar Airways signed an agreement with Indigo. Analysts claim that the airways is attempting to expand its operations in order to enhance its outreach.
Read more: Qatar Airways Signs Codeshare Agreement With IndiGo
According to the website of the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine, the corresponding document was signed during the meeting of Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy with President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al Subaey. “We are liberalizing air traffic between Ukraine and the state of Qatar. The signing of today’s protocol will allow expanding the access of airlines of both countries to the air transportation market, eliminating restrictions on the number of flights, types of aircraft, and also destinations in the territories of both countries,” the minister said.
Qatar Airways and IndiGo have signed a one-way codeshare agreement. In a regulatory filing, InterGlobe Aviation – the parent company of budget airline operator IndiGo – said the agreement is in-line with its international expansion plans and will enable Qatar Airways to place its code on IndiGo flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. IndiGo said this marks its second codeshare agreement as a part of its growth strategy for international markets. Shares in InterGlobe Aviation rose nearly 2 percent after the announcement.
A few days ago, Qatar Airways has agreed to take a 60 percent stake in a new $1.3bn international airport in Rwanda, the state-run Rwanda Development Board said.