Qatar airline snubs Melbourne to fly to Sydney

[Rhys Xanthis]

Depends how they reshuffle as they get more B777's in, as to how they deploy them or redeploy the A346.

But you would expect them to put new aircraft on a leg as long as this, especially in the climate we are in now to try and attract as many passengers as possible.

[Jim M]

Still no word on a start up date?

[Steve Jones]

Looks like they will fly to both MEL and SYD with 777LR. No start-up date or frequency information though...

ITB Berlin, GERMANY – Qatar Airways today announced plans to launch scheduled flights to Australia and further expand its operations in India and Europe with new routes from the start of the Northern Winter 2009 schedules.

Flights to the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne, together with new services to Goa and Amritsar in India, and two new European services are being earmarked over the next nine months.

In addition, the Doha-based carrier will increase frequency to selected destinations across its global network from the beginning of the Northern Summer 2009 schedules on March 29. The expansion was announced today at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel and tourism show being held in the German capital this week.

Subject to regulatory approval, the long-awaited Australian services will become reality as more Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft join the fleet. There are currently eight Boeing 777s in Qatar Airways’ fleet of 68 aircraft – of which two are the Boeing 777 Long Range version capable of flying from Doha to Australia non-stop.

Amritsar, located in the rich northwestern Indian agricultural heartland of Punjab State, is home to the Golden Temple – the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh religion. Together with the popular idyllic beach holiday state of Goa, the two new routes will boost Qatar Airways’ Indian capacity from nine to 11 destinations.

Qatar Airways will also step up its European presence with two new routes, which are currently being finalised. Details will be announced in due course. The airline’s first new route launch of 2009 will be daily flights between Doha and Houston which, at just under 17 hours, will be one of the longest non-stop flights in the world.

Beginning March 30, the Houston route will feature Qatar Airways’ new fully flat Business Class seats deployed on its two Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft, which the airline took delivery of over the past six weeks.

The expansion is part of the airline’s ongoing growth strategy – a long-term commitment to develop its route infrastructure as new aircraft join the fleet at an average delivery rate of one a month.

The award-winning Doha-based airline currently has on order more than 200 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft worth over US$40 billion.

“Qatar Airways’ robust expansion is continuing undeterred by the current economic climate,” said Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, addressing a packed press conference on the opening day of ITB Berlin.

“Sydney and Melbourne have been on our radar screen for many years. We can finally look forward to entering the Australian market with vigour as we will have the aircraft to serve this highly popular market non-stop from Doha.

“India has been, and remains, one of our most important destinations and we are pleased to be strengthening economic and cultural ties with one of the world’s fastest growing economies. With the growth of the Indian economy into a potential global powerhouse and Qatar's drive to spread its economic wings globally, increasing air links between the two countries is of paramount importance.”

Qatar Airways currently operates 58 flights a week to nine cities across India – daily to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Kozhikode and twice-weekly to Nagpur.

Al Baker said Europe was strategically important for Qatar Airways, highlighting the need to widen its market presence with the addition of two new routes over the next nine months.

“Our tremendous growth is part of a long-term strategy to significantly build up our portfolio of routes and fleet size,” he added.

“Qatar Airways continually identifies new opportunities around the world to better serve the travelling public and is able to easily shift capacity according to market conditions. As a network hub airline, Qatar Airways does not rely on traffic from any specific markets, so we are largely immune from the circumstances surrounding the current global economic meltdown.

“With new aircraft joining our fleet at an incredible rate of one a month for the foreseeable future, we are confident going forward, able to consolidate our position by increasing frequency on existing routes and introducing new routes to give passengers greater choice.

“Qatar Airways is well poised to face the challenges ahead. We have a long-term vision demonstrated by today’s announcement to build on our highly successful young operation – a remarkable feat for an airline which launched just 12 years ago.”

In addition to the route expansion, Qatar Airways is gradually stepping up capacity from March 29 to eight cities – Geneva, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lagos, Muscat, Mashad (Iran), Tunis and Algiers. The frequency increases will see the Philippines capital of Manila being served with two daily flights, up from the current 11 services a week; Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos going from five services a week to daily; and capacity to the Omani capital of Muscat rising from 15 to 21 flights a week.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 68 Airbus and Boeing aircraft to 83 diverse business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America.

With the opening of the New Doha International Airport scheduled for 2012, Qatar Airways plans to increase its global network to beyond 100 cities worldwide.

[Sarah C]

The airline has confirmed the move this morning. It also says they will use the 772LR - nice to see another one of those operating to YSSY!

[NickN]

So the flight will be Doha-Sydney-Melbourne?

Very aggressive plans for expansion by Qatar but also a good time to establish new connections and win customers for when the economy bounces back.

[Rhys Xanthis]

They have to be very careful about how agressive they are before the new Doha airport opens - from what i've read and seen with pictures, its impossible to move in the morning there.

And why is Manila so popular? Double daily?? Is it mostly freight, or what?

[lloyd fox]

Qatar had planned to fly daily to MEL from 1 sep but the flight was to be a late night flight so i doubt SYD-MEL would be linked under these new plans, however they dropped these plans recently so now it looks as though a start in NOV 2009 is on the cards.

I would suspect a daily flight to both cities however they may not start that way, however i doubt whether they will be linked.I would assume a daylight flight to SYD and a night flight to MEL.

If anyone has details of the revised Aust Govt approval re Qatar can they let us know as originally it was MEL or BNE daily then SYD could start after 1 year but now SYD can start immediately but can MEL also start immediately i would assume they can??????

Lloyd

[Bernie P]

Originally Posted by Rhys Xanthis

They have to be very careful about how agressive they are before the new Doha airport opens - from what i've read and seen with pictures, its impossible to move in the morning there.

And why is Manila so popular? Double daily?? Is it mostly freight, or what?

There is PLENTY of room in the current terminal, lots of seating and space to laydown and sleep... ONLY trouble I had (apart from EK turning up at 10.30 instead of 3.45am) as with almost all travellers is, the bus to the AC...

[Steve Crook]

Rhys,
I'm not sure about the freight aspect of service between the Middle East and Manila, but I do know that there is a big market in Filippinos working in the Middle East as foreign workers - men as labourers and woman as housemaids. I was amazed some years ago when transitting Dubai a couple of times to see a huge number of Filippino women waiting for flights to Manila. Apparently the pay is terrible and the work very hard, but thewages are still extremely high compared to what they would earn in the Philippines.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Originally Posted by Bernie P

There is PLENTY of room in the current terminal, lots of seating and space to laydown and sleep... ONLY trouble I had (apart from EK turning up at 10.30 instead of 3.45am) as with almost all travellers is, the bus to the AC...

Must have put more seating in or something - i remember seeing a few youtube videos and it was crazy!

Originally Posted by Steve Crook

Rhys,
I'm not sure about the freight aspect of service between the Middle East and Manila, but I do know that there is a big market in Filippinos working in the Middle East as foreign workers - men as labourers and woman as housemaids. I was amazed some years ago when transitting Dubai a couple of times to see a huge number of Filippino women waiting for flights to Manila. Apparently the pay is terrible and the work very hard, but thewages are still extremely high compared to what they would earn in the Philippines.

That could explain it - I have seen a few doco's on Nat Geo about Dubai's foreign workforce.


thanks steve, bernie.

rhys