Qatar Airways launches Vietnamese expansion drive

The airline’s Vietnamese expansion marks a new chapter in Qatar Airways’ growth in the Far East for 2010, which also includes the addition of new routes to Tokyo and Phuket, as well as significant frequency and capacity upgrades across the region.

Qatar Airways now operates 11 flights a week to Doha spread across Vietnam’s two largest cities, up from its previous four frequencies a week to Ho Chi Minh City.

The airline’s new Vietnam schedules took effect from November 1 beginning with Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight from Doha to Hanoi, which touched down at Noi Bai International Airport, following a 10 and a half hour journey via Bangkok.

Hanoi becomes the airline’s second Vietnamese route and is operated four-times-a-week. At the same time, Qatar Airways Ho Chi Minh City services have been boosted to daily.

“Qatar Airways appreciates the support provided by the Vietnamese government in allowing us to almost triple the number of flights we operate to the country. The bilateral relationship between Qatar and Vietnam has grown significantly in recent years and this route development is one of the results of this growing friendship,” said Al Baker, Qatar Airways' CEO addressing a packed press conference in the Vietnamese capital.   

“Vietnam has long been an attractive leisure destination and with the country’s economic strength continuing to build, we are also seeing more business travel in and out of the country. Qatar Airways has introduced its new Hanoi route and placed additional frequencies to Ho Chi Minh City to push our advantage over our competitors and to grow our market share as the country grows.”

The launch of Hanoi flights sees Qatar Airways’ Asia Pacific route network extend to 18 destinations. Globally, Qatar Airways has launched a further seven new routes since February 2010 – Bengaluru (Bangalore), Copenhagen, Ankara, Tokyo, Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.

By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve 120 key business and leisure destinations worldwide with a modern fleet of 120 aircraft. Today, the airline’s fleet stands at 90 aircraft, flying to 94 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North and South America.