QATAR AIRWAYS MARKS SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS IN ARGENTINA

Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA – Qatar Airways has described as “exceptional” its growth in Latin America since launching five months ago.

From June this year, the carrier introduced scheduled flights from Buenos Aires to Doha expanding the airline’s network reach to six continents. The carrier is the first Middle East-based airline to fly to the land of tango.

Addressing regional and international media at a press conference in Buenos Aires, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker spoke about the airline’s expansion into Latin America and the strong traffic it has generated from Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.

“Qatar Airways’ growth in the Latin American market has been exceptional, and our route has been very well received by passengers. With our world-class, award-winning 5-star service, we present an airline of choice for those travelling to and from the region,” he said.

“The Doha – Buenos Aires route provides a key gateway for commercial, leisure and tourism traffic and opens the door to further expansion into South America.

“Currently the 18-hour journey is the longest in our network, and is linked via a brief stop in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. In line with our existing strategy to introduce more frequencies to existing destinations and operate direct services, we aim to fly a dedicated non-stop flight to Argentina’s capital city in the future.”

Al Baker added: “The route provides a transport link for diaspora communities seeking convenient connections from Argentina to cities such as Beirut, Beijing, Damascus, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo with a transit time from as little as 55 minutes.”

Qatar Airways recently announced its 100th destination to Aleppo in Syria from April 6 next year, providing even more options for travellers flying between east and west. In Buenos Aires alone, the Syrian community constitutes more than 13 per cent of citizens.

In January, the State of Qatar and Argentina signed three cooperation agreements in the areas of economy, trade and sports as part of a strengthening of ties between both countries.

Qatar Airways’ flagship Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft deployed on the route is operated in a two-class configuration with 42 seats in Business and 217 in Economy.
Entertainment options include 17-inch individual TV screens in Business Class and 10.6-inch in Economy. The in-flight interactive entertainment system offers a choice of more than 900 audio and video on demand options, available in both cabins.

Over the next four months, the airline’s growth focuses on Europe with four new destinations being introduced – Budapest (January 17), Bucharest (January 17), Brussels (January 31) and Stuttgart (March 6).

The airline currently operates a modern fleet of 93 aircraft to 95 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North and South America. The latest addition was the Mediterranean French city of Nice on November 24.

By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve 120 destinations worldwide with a fleet of 120 aircraft.