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Friday, December 30, 2011

Qatar Airways expands in China

CHINA-Qatar Airways has expanded in China with the launch of new flights to Chongqing and additional frequencies to both Beijing and Hong Kong.

The Middle Eastern carried has launched thrice-weekly services to Chongqing – the carrier’s fifth Chinese gateway – together with three new flights to Beijing and four extra frequencies to Hong Kong. The capacity hike, which has been introduced over a two-week period, takes the airline’s overall frequency across China from 25 to 35 flights each week.

Qatar Airways launched non-stop scheduled services to Chongqing in southwest China on 28 November, days after increasing frequency on the Doha–Beijing route to daily. Then on 2 December the airline boosted its daily Doha-Hong Kong services to 11 flights each week.
Qatar Airways also operates daily flights to both Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Speaking at a press conference in Chongqing, Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker, said; “We have been closely looking at the opportunities that exist in this vast market to provide greater passenger choice and to give both business and leisure travellers more travel options to and from China, where many cities are largely underserved by international airlines.

“Chongqing is a prime example of a city, with its large industrial base and population of almost 30 million people, not having sufficient international air access that it so well deserves. By entering this market, we have become the only international airline flying westwards from Chongqing, giving easy one-stop access via our Doha hub to destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America and South America.

“With Chongqing’s strategic location on the important shipping waterway of the Yangtze River and being a production hub for motor cars, motorcycles, iron, steel, textiles, machinery and electronics, the city has huge market potential for new flights,” added Al Baker during the media gathering at the Sheraton Chongqing.

Speaking of the extra Beijing and Hong Kong services, Al Baker said; “We now have five cities on our route map across China, increasing the number of passenger flights from 25 to 35 each week, a significant operational increase in the space of just two weeks marking the end of yet another highly successful year in which we launched 15 new routes.

“It gives me great pleasure to be celebrating our expansion here in Chongqing, home to the iconic, magnificent Three Gorges. We look forward to developing our network further in China, which we believe has plenty more opportunities, particularly inland Chinese cities where demand for air travel is just as high as the traditional coastal gateways,” he added.

The new Doha-Chongqing services will depart Doha every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0115, arriving in Chongqing at 1305. The return flights leave China at 0100 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving back in Qatar at 0500. The flights will be operated using an Airbus A330 featuring up to 36 seats in Business Class and up to 248 seats in Economy.

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