The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, touched down at Canberra Airport, where it was welcomed with a celebratory water cannon salute.
On board the inaugural Qatar Airways flight to Canberra, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, was joined by the Australian Ambassador to the State of Qatar, His Excellency Mr. Axel Wabenhorst.
The VIP delegation was greeted upon arrival by Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Hon Steven Ciobo; the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Australia, His Excellency Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister Mr. Andrew Barr MLA.
H.E. Mr. Al Baker said, “Qatar Airways is delighted to be expanding its reach in Australia by launching our fifth gateway into this beautiful country. In 2016, we launched flights to Sydney and Adelaide, clearly demonstrating our commitment to the people of Australia.
"We are extremely happy to be offering our loyal Australian passengers the chance to explore the newest and most exciting destinations we have added to our global network in the past year, including many European cities such as Dublin, Kyiv, Prague and St. Petersburg. We are also confident that Australian travellers will be as excited as we are about our many upcoming new destinations set to launch this year, including Cardiff, United Kingdom; Malaga, Spain and Mykonos, Greece.”
ACT Chief Minister, Mr. Andrew Barr, who welcomed the arrival of the second international airline to service the capital, said: “It is wonderful that Qatar Airways has made the decision to come to Canberra in 2018 – a year in which our city was recognised as the third best city in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.”
Qatar Airways will operate its daily Canberra service with a Boeing B777 aircraft, which features 42 flatbed seats in Business Class and 316 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will be able to enjoy the airline’s superior entertainment system offering a wide variety of entertainment options.