Qatar Airways Looks At Additional Chinese Markets

Posted 13/12/2011

As Qatar Airways increases its presence in the Chinese market with a new link to Chongqing and additional frequencies to Beijing and Hong Kong, the airline’s management has revealed they are studying more destinations in the country for future growth.  Over the past two weeks the Middle East operator has inaugurated a three times weekly service to Chongqing – the carrier’s fifth Chinese gateway –three new flights to Beijing and four extra rotations to Hong Kong, increasing its overall frequency across China from 25 to 35 flights each week.

Speaking at a press conference in Chongqing to celebrate the airline’s new flight, Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said China’s economic growth was clearly a catalyst for the carrier to do more business in the country, already a strong economic partner with the State of Qatar.  “We have been closely looking at the opportunities that exist in this vast market to provide greater passenger choice and to give both business and leisure travellers more travel options to and from China, where many cities are largely underserved by international airlines,” he said.

“Chongqing is a prime example of a city, with its large industrial base and population of almost 30 million people, not having sufficient international air access that it so well deserves. By entering this market, we have become the only international airline flying westwards from Chongqing, giving easy one-stop access via our Doha hub to destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America and South America,” he added.

With additional services into both Beijing and Hong Kong, Al Baker said that Qatar Airways was stepping up travel options to and from the popular cities, further cementing its position as an airline of choice.  Qatar Airways also serves Guangzhou and Shanghai and additional Chinese cities could be added to the airline’s route map in the future.  “We look forward to developing our network further in China, which we believe has plenty more opportunities, particularly inland Chinese cities where demand for air travel is just as high as the traditional coastal gateways,” said Akbar Al Baker.

The State of Qatar shares a strong relationship with China, based on established trade links. Qatar is China’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) while exports from China to Qatar centre on mechanical and electrical goods.  Qatar is home to more than 6,000 Chinese nationals, of which over five per cent work at Qatar Airways – 330 employed at head office in Doha and almost 80 in China.

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