Qatar Airways begins new daily route to India

Since the launch in February of daily non-stop flights between the airline’s operational hub of Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, and Bengaluru, Qatar Airways reports the new service proving to be one of its most successful start-up routes.
 
Qatar Airways currently operates 74 flights a week spread across 11 Indian cities – in addition to Bengaluru, daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Cochin, Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Ahmedabad and Goa, with four services-a-week to Amritsar.
 
Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru yesterday, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the newest addition to the airline's Indian network further strengthened its presence in one of the world’s most vibrant markets.
 
“I am delighted that Bengaluru has finally joined our international network. The route has performed exceptionally well and further demonstrates our commitment to give the travelling public greater choice,” he said.
 
“This new strategic air link fosters a stronger partnership between India and Qatar, and further provides excellent connectivity through our flights to the rest of the world via Doha.
 
“India has grown rapidly into a dynamic market and we at Qatar Airways are extremely delighted to be part of the great success story of India Inc, working with the relevant authorities here to open up more air links to the world.”
 
Added Al Baker: "In the last six months alone, we have stepped up capacity to India from 56 to 74 flights-a-week thanks to the introduction of services to Bengaluru, Goa and Amritsar. This represents a remarkable 30% increase in frequency to and from India.
 
“Our Doha – Goa flights increased to daily only last week and we plan to step up capacity on the Amritsar route to daily within the next few months. And we will continue to explore new strategic opportunities to expand our presence to even more cities across this wonderful country.”
 
Home to India’s largest IT software industry, Bengaluru also has some of the country’s most affluent colleges and research institutions with numerous public sector companies across the aerospace, telecommunications and defence industries.
 
With excellent connections from Europe, Middle East, Africa and the United States, the new route is expected to be popular among expatriates returning to Bengaluru, as well as the international business community having strong commercial links with the city.
 
Bengaluru was the first of several route launches for 2010 during a year of aggressive expansion, which will see a further four destinations added to Qatar Airways’ global network from Doha, together with capacity increases across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
 
Scheduled flights were launched to the Danish capital Copenhagen on March 30; the Turkish capital Ankara saw services begin on April 5; the Japanese capital Tokyo will be served from April 26; and flights to the Spanish Mediterranean port city of Barcelona start on June 7.
 
Qatar Airways completes its global jigsaw this summer by adding the South American continent to its burgeoning network with flights to the region's two largest cities.
 
Beginning June 24, daily services will operate to Sao Paulo in Brazil, continuing onto the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.
 
Added Al Baker: “These are exciting times for Qatar Airways. With three new routes launched over the past few weeks, we look forward to further global expansion to some exciting destinations in the coming weeks and months."
 
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 82 aircraft to 88 diverse business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, South Asia and North America.
 
On the Doha – Bengaluru route, Qatar Airways operates an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.