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| Sunday, 19 January 2003 |
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Qatar Airways reiterates commitment to Sri Lanka Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, will fly daily between Colombo and Doha with the introduction of two additional flights. Akbar Al Baker, CEO Qatar Airways, who arrived in Sri Lanka to launch the new flights, said that the airline is keen to develop the bond between the two countries. He said the economy of Qatar enjoys a high rate of growth and is still growing. The preferred destination for providing skilled and semi-skilled labour required to cater to the needs of the growing economy is Sri Lanka. The increased frequencies between the two countries will help the expatriate community based in Qatar as well as people who need connecting flights to other destinations. Referring to the July 23 attack on the Katunayake Airport, he said that most airlines pulled out, but Qatar Airways stayed on as it was committed to Sri Lanka and its people. The island will continue to be very much a part of the airline's expansion plans, he said. Al Baker met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, other ministers and local aviation authorities during his visit outlined the future plans of Qatar Airways and assured their commitment and support to the development of Sri Lanka and its people. He said they would be flying to Manchester from April and to Shanghai from June while Addis Ababa, Aden, Islamabad, Kochi, Lagos, Moscow and Tripoli are also on the cards. "We have not only added new destinations, but also increased the frequencies on key routes. The frequency to Jakarta has increased from two to four flights a week, Manila from three to five and Bangkok from three to daily. London has gained two more flights, increasing the frequency to 11 a week while flights to Amman, Khartoum, Male, Mumbai and Kathmandu have also increased. At present the airline has 18 aircraft and plans are under way to increase this to 33 by the end of 2004 with the addition of three A330s, two A380s and 10 A320 aircraft. Qatar Airways flies to 35 destinations in 26 countries and by 2005 it will fly to 50 destinations, said Al Baker. Qatar, which is one of the world's largest natural gas producers, is undergoing a massive expansion in infrastructure. Its economy is growing rapidly and the state wants an airline to match the expansion. He said that the airline is looking at India very seriously for expansion as there is considerable potential for the airline in India. The airline's other subcontinent routes are Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Dacca. Answering a question on whether the tension in the Middle East will affect the airline, he said that there is no tension at present. "We will continue to grow and prosper and we are also not a party to the conflict." (SG) |
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