First Dedicated Stand at WTM for Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, is exhibiting with a dedicated stand for the first time at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London between November 8-11.

The airline operates scheduled flights from the capital Doha to 53 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and the Far East. By the end of 2005, the airline will serve at least 70 destinations, including cities in North America and Australia.

Over the next three months, six new routes – Beijing, Seychelles, London Gatwick, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Yangon – will be added to the global network from Doha. The new routes and schedules starting from Doha this winter are:

Beijing 3 times a week, beginning 25 November 2004
London Gatwick daily, beginning 26 November 2004
Seychelles 4 times a week, beginning 1 December 2004
Yangon 4 times a week, beginning 8 January 2005
Johannesburg 4 times a week, beginning 16 January 2005
Cape Town 4 times a week, beginning 16 January 2005

The new two-tier exhibition stand features a reception desk with seating area for meetings and presentations, together with a refreshment area where Qatar Airways cabin crew will be serving Arabic coffee and dates.

On the upper deck there is a VIP area for meetings. The stand also has a 6 metre curved graphic feature wall in Qatar Airways’ corporate colours of burgundy and grey.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker said the WTM presented a perfect opportunity to showcase the airline to a global audience under one roof.

“The World Travel Market is one of the world’s leading travel industry events,” he said, adding: “We are pleased to have our own stand at the show for the first time because the airline is growing at a phenomenal pace opening up new routes and adding new and modern aircraft.”

Qatar Airways launched operations in 1997 with only four aircraft – today it operates a fleet of 36 all-Airbus aircraft averaging less than three years old. The fleet will nearly double in size over the next few years following a $5.1bn order for 34 additional Airbus jets.

During the 2003/2004 financial year, Qatar Airways carried 3.3m passengers, up 35% on the previous 12-month period. Passenger numbers are projected to rise sharply in the 2004/2005 period to 4.5m.

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