Qatar Airways is set to expand its flight schedule across
U.S. airports by adding 18 more airports and cities, and reach 250 destinations worldwide, according to CEO Akbar Al
Baker.
Following a COVID-19 suspension, Qatar Airways has resumed operations, adding seven new sites and three more in 2023. By the end of 2023, the airline intends to increase service to Ras Al Kaimah and Phnom Penh, with six additional destinations anticipated by next summer. Plans for expansion to 250 international gateways, however, won't start until 2025 or 2026. CEO Al Baker is confident that the expansion will be supported by increased passenger demand around the world.
“We’re within
seven hours [of flight time] to 65 per cent of the world’s population,” from
Qatar’s headquarters of Hamad Airport in Doha, says Al Baker. Among the
airline’s strategic expansion targets are markets in India and Africa, which Al
Baker says are currently “poorly serviced, for both quantity and quality” when
it comes to air travel. While Qatar Airways sees huge opportunities for these
markets, Al Baker cautions that “infrastructure constraints,” including the
need for more and better airports and improved management of airspace and
runway capacity, could slow the carrier’s ambitions in the two regions.
“There’s so
much business to go around,” for new markets, says Al Baker. “But who will be
successful is who will make the most efficient travel hubs and quickest
connections.”
The airline will add three daily flights to its schedule beginning on October 29 from JFK International Airport in New York. In the winter, Qatar Airways will add a 10:35 a.m. departure from Dulles International Airport to its existing Washington, D.C. flight schedule. To increase bookings for connecting flights, the airline will also maximise its code-sharing agreements with American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Alaska Airlines. According to Al Baker, the U.S. market offers Qatar Airways the chance to serve both leisure passenger traffic and the expanding diaspora of people from the region who now reside in the country.
Share this:
Post a Comment