Kwa-Zulu-Natal’s ‘King Shaka International Airport’ is welcoming forthcoming flights from Gulf carrier ‘Qatar Airways’ that will commence on 17th December. ‘Cape Town’ and ‘OR Tambo International Airports’ have had the privilege of the airline since 2005. Flights from Doha to ‘King Shaka’ will fly via ‘OR Tambo’ affording passengers a choice of four weekly flights in a ‘Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’ aircraft that seats up to 254 and offers two classes of travel.
Operating one of the youngest fleets, ‘Qatar Airways’ is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world flying across six continents to 152 destinations with a fleet of 166 contemporary aircraft. The first Gulf airline to become a member of the global airline alliance ‘Oneworld’, passengers benefit from 14 250 departures and more than 1000 airports.
For the sixth consecutive year the airline took the accolade for ‘Best Middle Eastern/African Airline’ at the 2015 Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards held in Hong Kong during September and added to that, for its third consecutive year was named as the ‘World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015’ by ‘Skytrax’. ‘Qatar Airways’ also won the top award in the ‘Condé Nast Traveller’ reader awards for ‘Best for Business’ category held in Central London receiving recognition for punctuality, five-star service and top airport lounges and if that’s not enough it took the award for ‘Best Up In the Air Experience’ at the ‘Future Global Travel Experience 2015’ held in Las Vegas in September.
Speaking at World Routes, Michael Mabuyakhulu, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs of KwaZulu-Natal said: “We are pleased that World Routes Durban 2015 has featured good news for our province, the city, the country and, indeed, the region as one of the fastest-growing brands in the aviation business.”
“The news that Qatar Airways will be introducing a new flight service between Doha and King Shaka International Airport is in line with our ambitious plans of developing an aviation inspired conurbation, the Durban aerotropolis, as a catalyst towards the stimulation of growth to unleash considerable business and employment opportunities for our people,” he added.
The new service will offer a complementary long-haul hub connection offer to those already offered by Emirates Airline via Dubai and South African Airways via Johannesburg. “The international profile of Qatar Airways speaks for itself and will, therefore, create an avenue for our city and province to connect to more than 151 destinations in all six continents which guarantees an upsurge in the tourist, business and general passenger numbers to grace King Shaka International Airport,” noted Mabuyakhulu.
“At Qatar Airways we strive to provide our passengers with the best of service levels on the ground and on board our modern fleet. We also provide our passengers with a strong global network of business and leisure destinations, and the city of Durban will be a welcome new addition to our extensive route map,” His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, chief executive officer, Qatar Airways Group.
Durban is the second most important manufacturing hub in South Africa after Johannesburg with the presence of a number of major multi-national companies and is also famous for being the busiest port in the African continent. It is also seen as one of the main centres of tourism because of the city’s warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches and is an exciting holiday destination thanks to its luxury resorts and adventure sports opportunities.
“Durban is an important gateway into South Africa and we are very confident that this route will be warmly welcomed like all our other routes in the African continent,” added Al Baker.
Travellers in Kwa-Zulu-Natal are undoubtedly waiting in anticipation for ‘Qatar Airlines’ to commence operations affording them the opportunity to indulge in a travel experience of superior quality and service.