Qatar sets date for Australia flights launch

AUSSIE RULES: Qatar Airways will launch flights to Melbourne on December 6.

Qatar Airways will enter the Australian market with the launch of Melbourne flights on December 6, it emerged on Thursday.

Qatar Airways will begin operating three weekly services using a new Boeing B777-200 Long Range aircraft to be delivered to the airline later this year.

The operations are set to become daily from early in 2010, following the delivery of a second long range Boeing, company official said.

“We will begin operating to Australia before Christmas and in time for the holiday rush”, airline CEO Akbar al-Baker said in comments published by Gulf Times on Thursday.

“I know the travelling public is eager for us to begin serving Australia and I have had many people ask me about our direct routes to Melbourne and Sydney. We are finalising some details with regulatory authorities in Australia, and once we have received the necessary aircraft from Boeing, we will be ready to operate," he told the paper.

Qatar Airways already has 4,000 frequent fliers in Australia who are part of its loyalty programme, though the local market remains largely untapped.

“The Australian economy is one of the few in the world that grew in the first quarter of 2009, so this shows that the market there is still very strong, and we believe there is demand,” al-Baker said.

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