ITB: 2014 will be remembered by Qatar Airways

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Qatar Airways yesterday upstaged all other airlines at ITB2015 when the airline was first out of the blocks in holding a press conference before a packed audience of German and international travel tr

Qatar Airways yesterday upstaged all other airlines at ITB2015 when the airline was first out of the blocks in holding a press conference before a packed audience of German and international travel trade and aviation journalists. The event had a dual purpose, for one to celebrate 10 years of flights from Doha to Berlin and secondly of course to tell the world about the year it has been and the years to come.

2014 will be remembered by Qatar Airways and their passengers as the year when the airline took delivery of their first Airbus A380, followed in late December by a global first when the airline was the first in the world to receive the most advanced passenger jet to date, the Airbus A350 XWB.

Said Qatar Airwaysโ€™ Group CEO, Akbar Al Baker, on the occasion yesterday: “The last 12 months have been characterized by significant fleet expansion for the airline, which is set to continue throughout 2015. This year we are pleased to be able to offer our passengers additional innovative new products within our broad destination network, most notably with the introduction of the worldโ€™s newest aircraft, the A350 XWB. It is fitting that we are back in Germany today, celebrating not only the recent launch of the A350 XWB on the Frankfurt route and the fact that this destination will soon be the recipient of the worldโ€™s second A350 XWB, but also acknowledging the 10-year anniversary of our Berlin route.”

Those attending the press conference were also updated on the latest amenities on board for First, Business, and Economy Class passengers. First Class passengers will now enjoy luxurious male and female sleeper suits from Italian designer Missoni, complemented by amenity kits by Giorgio Armani. Business Class passengers will also enjoy Giorgio Armani amenity kits, tailored to male or female passengers and enjoy newly-introduced Ladurรฉe Parisian delicacies, available in both First and Business cabins, while Economy Class passengers will also benefit from a newly-designed amenity kit.

Qatar Airways is also doubling its movie content on board this spring, with a selection of over 500 movies to enjoy, including the worldโ€™s latest premieres, while increasing its selection of TV programs from 700 to over 1,500, including the latest box sets, complementing its range of over 200 CDs and 50 games, which caters to all ages.

As the global launch customer for the new Airbus A350 XWB, the first flight of the all-new family of wide-body aircraft took place on January 15, 2015 on the Frankfurt-Doha route, and it will soon be joined by Qatar Airwaysโ€™ second A350 XWB, taking this service with the worldโ€™s newest aircraft to double-daily.

With a total of 80 A350 XWB aircraft on order, the airline is one of the worldโ€™s fastest growing and has one of the most modern fleets in the sky. Mr. Akbar Al Baker also announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline to operate the A350 XWB to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region from June this year, adding the airlineโ€™s third, fourth, and fifth A350 XWB aircraft on the three daily flights to Singapore.

All this is good news for Qatar Airwaysโ€™ passengers from East Africa, where the airline presently serves Nairobi and Dar es Salaam with two flights a day, while Entebbe, Kigali and Kilimanjaro receive a daily flight. Demand in particular on the Doha to Entebbe and on to Kigali route remains strong, giving hope for these two destinations to sooner rather than later getting additional frequencies to cater for the growing number of travelers wanting to connect via Dohaโ€™s sparkling new Hamad International Airport to the global Qatar Airways network.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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