LANGKAWI: Qatar Airways’ maiden flight to Langkawi from Doha has today arrived at the Langkawi International Airport at 4.20pm.
Operated by Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the flight arrival was greeted by the Qatari ambassador to Malaysia Fahad Mohammed Kafoud, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chief operating officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, Langkawi Development Authority chief executive officer Dr. Hezri Adnan and Qatar Airways Asia Pacific senior vice president Marwan Koleilat, as well as senior airport officials.
Qatar Airways group chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said Langkawi marks the eighth new destination added to the airline’s expanding network this year.
“I am thrilled to have been on today’s special flight to Langkawi and to be here celebrating our arrival to this stunning archipelago.
“With its forested hills, stunning white-sand beaches and glimmering turquoise waters, Langkawi is fast becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most highly sought-after destinations and the reason why we knew we had to launch our flights here,” Akbar said after arriving from Doha, here today.
Qatar Airways will initially have four-weekly flights to Langkawi, before increasing it to five times a week from October 27.
“We look forward to welcoming business and leisure travellers alike on board so that they may experience the ‘Jewel of Kedah’,” he added.
Langkawi is the third destination introduced by the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar after Penang last year and Kuala Lumpur in 2001.
Mohd Shukrie said Qatar Airways was the first Middle Eastern airline to fly to Langkawi.
“The inclusion of a new international airline to Langkawi will definitely spur our Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign by increasing the number of tourists into Langkawi,” he said.
Qatar Airways’ services to Langkawi feature 22 seats in Business class and 232 seats in Economy class, with spacious cabins and specially-designed interiors onboard of the B787-8 Dreamliner.
Passengers travelling to Langkawi will also have access to Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system, offering the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more.
Qatar Airways has launched services to several new destinations this year. This included Lisbon in Portugal, Malta, Rabat in Morocco, Davao in the Philippines, Izmir in Turkey and Mogadishu in Somalia.
The airline will add Gaborone in Botswana to its extensive network in December 2019, followed by Luanda in Angola and Osaka in Japan next year.
Qatar Airways was named “Airline of the Year” for the fifth time by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.
It was also named “World’s Best Business Class”, “Best Business Class Seat” and “Best Airline in the Middle East”.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport to more than 160 destinations worldwide.