Qatar Airways to launch flights to Melbourne

Qatar Airways will soon be represented in Australia when it launches its first flights to Melbourne from Doha.

Announcing the new service at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker confirmed that it would get underway on December 6th in time for the "holiday rush".

The route will be served by three weekly flights using a new long-range aircraft that the airline is set to receive from Boeing later this year.

Qatar Airways has plans to further extend its network in Australia by launching flights to Sydney once the Melbourne service is underway.

Mr Al Baker said: "I know the travelling public is eager for us to begin serving Australia and I've had many people ask me about our direct routes to Melbourne and Sydney.

"We're finalising some details with regulatory authorities in Australia and once we've received the necessary aircraft from Boeing, we will be ready to operate."

From its hub in Doha, Qatar Airways operates an international network of flights to destinations including Cape Town, Bali and Mumbai, as well as several destinations in the US through a codeshare with United Airlines.

Posted by Paul, 19 June 2009 13:14

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• Qatar Airways