The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to the Australian Capital Territory has touched down this week (Feb 12) at Canberra Airport.
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 Axel Wabenhorst.
“Qatar Airways is delighted to be expanding its reach in Australia, by launching our fifth gateway into this beautiful country,” said H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker.
“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.”
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 Andrew Barr MLA; Canberra Airport Chairman, Mr. Terry Snow and Managing Director of Canberra Airport Mr. Stephen Byron.
ACT Chief Minister 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, 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.”
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.