Doha: Qatar Airways wowed the crowds on the opening day of the Kuwait Aviation Show, showcasing two of the newest aircraft in its fleet alongside announcing new destination plans for 2020.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker, and Engineer Badr Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer, Hamad International Airport, hosted a number of dignitaries at the carrier’s chalet, including H E Sheikh Mohammad Al Abdullah Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Deputy Amiri Diwan Minister in the State of Kuwait and Sheikh Salman Al Humoud Al Sabah, Director-General, General Directorate of Civil Aviation, Kuwait.
H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “The Kuwait Aviation Show is the perfect platform for us to kick start the New Year and unveil some of our exciting plans for 2020. Eight new destinations will be joining our network this year in addition to the recently announced gateways of Santorini, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Osaka, Japan.
"With these new routes, our operations will expand to 177 destinations around the world, reinforcing our position as one of the world’s most connected airlines. This ensures we can continue to provide our passengers with more options and flexibility when planning their business and leisure travel.”
There will be two weekly flights to Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, starting March 30, while two weekly flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan, will start from April 1, which will be increased to four weekly flights from May 25. There will be three weekly flights to Cebu, Philippines, from April 8, daily flights to Accra, Ghana, from April 15 and three weekly flights to Trabzon, Turkey, from May 20. There will be five weekly flights to Lyon, France, from June 23, four weekly flights to Luanda, Angola, from October 14 and five weekly flights to Siem Reap, Cambodia from November 16.
The world’s fastest-growing airline added several exciting new destinations to its growing network last year, including Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Malta; Davao, Philippines; Lisbon, Portugal; Mogadishu, Somalia; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Gaborone, Botswana.
Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.