Thursday, October 27, 2011

Qatar Airways Starts Flights to Benghazi, Libya

Qatar Airways will start scheduled flight services to Benghazi from 1st November. Benghazi is Libya's second largest city and is a strategic economic centre. Route launch for Entebbe (Uganda) and Chongqing (China) will follow.

Qatar Airways is all set to launch scheduled flights to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city from November 1 2011, it was announced on Monday. The new route will have four flights in a week non-stop from Doha.

The introduction of the latest route by the airline will take the number of destination launches by Qatar Airways to 15 in 2011.

Benghazi, Libya's north-eastern Mediterranean port city and major economic centre, is a key destination as far as trade and exports are concerned. The region of and around Benghazi is a prominent hub for industries like refining, food processing, cement production and tuna fishing. Other than leisure vacationers who seek cheap flight tickets, Qatar Airways hopes to cater to industrial travellers.

Qatar Airways has a well established presence in Libya as the airline serves the capital city of Tripoli. Flights to Tripoli are currently suspended due to the political situation. The flag carrier of Qatar, however, hopes to resume its operation to the Libyan capital city soon.

Airline's new route to Benghazi will see flight operations from Tuesday, next week. An Airbus A320 with dual configuration will be tendered on the route. The aircraft will feature 12 seats for First Class travellers and 132 Economy Class seats for those who would rather go for relatively cheap flight tickets with Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker welcomed the new launch to the airline’s ever-expanding network of destinations served.

"Qatar Airways continues to strive to provide a network to cater for all travel segments, conveniently connecting through our Doha hub," Akbar Al Baker said in a press release posted on the company’s website.

"Almost a year ago in Nice, I spoke about the possibility of expanding our Libyan operations, and I am delighted that we are now, within this short of a period, set to start flights to Benghazi, another key city in the country."

"We identified Benghazi as an underserved, primarily business destination, and now have the opportunity to bring this city into our fold," he also added.

Qatar Airways' Maiden Flight to Uganda Set to Take Off

Apart from Benghazi, Qatar Airways will launch two other new routes this month – Entebbe (Uganda) and Chongqing (China) - on November 2 and November 28, respectively.

Entebbe will be Qatar Airways’ first new route to the African continent since early 2007. It will be a daily non-stop flight.

Uganda is billed as the ‘next big thing’ in African tourism. It is a beautiful country that is replete with natural wonders that appeal to travellers. Entebbe is considered the gateway to Uganda, appealing all kinds of leisure vacationers. Qatar Airways hopes to tap this market segment.

Chongqing is the airline’s fifth gateway to the People’s Republic of China and with the launch Qatar Airways hopes to expand its presence in the region.

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