Chennai Becomes Qatar Airways' Sixth Indian Route

Doha, QATAR - The latest moves in Qatar Airways' huge expansion across Asia and the Indian sub-continent took off yesterday with flights from its base in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, to Chennai (formerly known as Madras) and the tropical island of Bali.

Qatar Airways already serves five cities across India - Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Trivandrum and Hyderabad - and the Indonesian capital Jakarta, so the new destinations will strengthen the airline's operations in both countries.

Passenger demand for both routes is expected to be significant, according to Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker.

"Chennai is the third largest commercial centre in India and becomes our first service to the country's east coast. And while Bali has always been a popular tourist destination, it is also growing in significance as a place to do business," he said.

"Qatar Airways is committed to spreading our award-winning Five Star service to key business and leisure destinations worldwide and the latest moves reflect the importance we place on expanding our operations in countries we already serve."

On the Chennai route, Qatar Airways operates daily flights using an Airbus A321 with a 12 Business Class and 165 Economy Class seat configuration.

With the launch of the new Indonesian service, Qatar Airways becomes the first Middle East carrier to serve the tropical island of Bali. Flights operate four times a week using an Airbus A300-600 aircraft with up to 30 seats in Business Class and 234 in Economy Class.

The inaugural flights represent a major drive by Qatar Airways to introduce numerous new destinations to its expanding network. In addition to Bali and Chennai, Qatar Airways is also launching flights to five further destinations across Asia, Europe and North America in 2007 alone.

Qatar Airways currently flies to 74 destinations worldwide with a modern fleet of 56 all-Airbus aircraft.

Source : Equity Bulls

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