Qatar Airways heralds 2013 as exciting year in aviation industry

Qatar Airways today spoke of how 2013 will be an exciting year and chapter for the State of Qatar’s aviation industry as the country prepares for the opening of the brand new Hamad International Airport. The iconic facility, built at a cost of over US$15.5 billion, is set to open in phases, beginning April 1 with a select-few airlines moving from the current Doha International Airport. Qatar Airways Group, which will manage and operate the new airport, will move to Hamad International towards the end of the year. Speaking today at a Press Conference at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest travel fair taking place in the German capital, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker spelled out the exciting developments taking place in the country with the national airline playing a pivotal role in the nation’s airport infrastructure developments. Showcasing the latest updates at ITB Berlin was a perfect platform for Qatar Airways to provide travel, aviation and business journalists from around the globe with an update and inside view on the world’s newest aviation hub. Al Baker also spoke of how Qatar Airways looked forward to becoming a fully-fledged member of one world, the first of the major Gulf carriers to announce intentions to join a global airline alliance. And he elaborated on an exciting new association, set to begin this summer, when Qatar Airways becomes a strategic partner with football giants FC Barcelona. He said: “These are exciting times for Qatar Airways and the State of Qatar. The opening of Hamad International Airport, our new home, will be a formidable milestone in the country’s relatively short history in the aviation industry. “This is an airport being watched closely by industry observers around the world, an airport that will set the standards and benchmark globally in the quality of facilities, services and finishing, nowhere seen anywhere in the world. “We look forward to welcoming the first airlines next month followed soon after by cargo operations and freighter flights moving across to Hamad International Airport. Qatar Airways will move its entire operations to the new airport by the end of the year.”