Qatar launches daily flights to New York

Qatar Airways announced on Monday it will start daily non-stop flights to New York from its Doha headquarters on October 26.

It will be deploying its new Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft to shave close to three hours off the current 17-hour flying time.

Under new operational schedules, the state-owned carrier said on Monday it will switch its existing six-flights-a week between Doha and the gateway hub of Newark Liberty International Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, stepping up frequency to daily non-stop services to give passengers greater choice.

At the same time, Qatar Airways said it will no longer operate flights between Geneva in Switzerland and New York, but will continue its Doha-Geneva route with an increased seating capacity.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the airline had seen significant growth in traffic on the New York route since its launch in June 2007 and that the new service was in response to increased passenger demand.

“As we have introduced more aircraft into our fleet, we have been able to increase frequency on the New York route from four flights a week to six services in just 12 months,” he said.

“The move to New York’s JFK Airport is in response to passenger demand flying to one of America’s premier airports on the US east coast.”

Mr Al Baker said the new Boeing 777s would give Qatar Airways the edge over its international competitors because of its lie-flat business class seats and unprecedented levels of space and comfort.

The aircraft will feature the next-generation in-flight entertainment system – the Panasonic eX2 – with more than 700 individual audio and video entertainment options.

The airline said it was committed to the Swiss market and that it will shortly be announcing additional frequencies with effect from 2009 to both Geneva and Zurich, to which it currently operates a four-times-a-week service.

Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of 62 aircraft to 83 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, south Asia, Indian subcontinent, Far East and North America.

Starting December 8, Qatar Airways is to launch scheduled flights to Houston, which at 17 hours, will be one of the longest flights in the world non-stop from Doha.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (0)

Have your say

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM