DOHA, QATAR – Qatar Airways Group held its first annual conference on safety and security for its staff, with an agenda designed to embed the Group Policy that safety and security is the highest priority as expressed in all Corporate Values. The team members were educated on the robust processes spanning several operational areas.
Named ‘Priority 1’, the one-day conference aimed to provide company-wide awareness on how various departments are implementing best-in-class processes, to share information and enhance collaboration throughout the organisation.
Over 600 executive leaders, managers and supervisory staff from the Qatar Airways Group were in attendance and participated in 16 interactive sessions to broaden their knowledge about various safety and security best practices. The workshops and presentations moderated by senior business representatives highlighted risk management, emergency response, business resilience, environmental sustainability, ground, flight and cabin safety, occupational health and fire safety as well as security topics among others. Additionally, the Talent Development team showcased key elements of safety and security learning.
The conference was opened by His Excellency, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, who emphasised the QR Group’s underlying commitment and complete focus on safety and security enhancement across all Qatar Airways operations network-wide, 24 hours a day out of the airline’s hub in Doha.
These continued improvements of current best practice have led to numerous company-wide achievements including a well-established integrated Safety and Security Management Programme, full safety and security audit compliance, improved carbon efficiency, successful joint emergency exercises with HIA and government emergency stakeholders and implementing centralised documentation and emergency information systems.
Remarked H.E. Mr. Al Baker: “The primary commitment we ask of each of our staff is to put safety and security as their number one priority every day, and we encourage our team members to constantly seek ways to share best practices and innovative safety methods with their colleagues”.
Ashish Jain, Senior Vice President Group Safety and Security said: “Our core objective of this conference is to emphasise that together we need to actively have a socially-conscious approach to our day to day work environment; every day in every department in every activity and conversation, we make safety and security our Priority 1. Good safety and security is not just about complying with applicable laws it is also very good for business.”
Qatar Airways Offers More ‘World's Best Business Class’ Seats to South Africa
Due to increasing customer demand, Qatar Airways will boost its premium offering to Johannesburg increasing its Business Class seat capacity by nearly 40 per cent for the busy winter season starting this month. The daily Boeing 777 wide-body service will now provide 42 Business Class seats and will complement Qatar Airways’ second daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner with its 22 Business Class seats between Doha and South Africa’s biggest metropolis Johannesburg.
Due to increasing customer demand, Qatar Airways will boost its premium offering to Johannesburg increasing its Business Class seat capacity by nearly 40 per cent for the busy winter season starting this month. The daily Boeing 777 wide-body service will now provide 42 Business Class seats and will complement Qatar Airways’ second daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner with its 22 Business Class seats between Doha and South Africa’s biggest metropolis Johannesburg.
The introduction of this Boeing 777 will offer passengers from Johannesburg, and those travelling to the city from Qatar Airways’ global network, an opportunity to experience the World’s Best Business Class. Qatar Airways was voted by millions of passengers at the Skytrax 2016 Awards for offering the World’s Best Business Class, Best Business Class Airline Lounge, and Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East. These accolades are a reflection of Qatar Airways’ end-to-end superior service providing passengers with unforgettable flight experiences. Besides offering fully lie-flat seats with up to 3,000 options of in-flight entertainment, the airline provides one of the best dining experiences available at 30,000 feet. Business Class passengers can dine on demand, enjoying a number of signature dishes prepared by world-renowned chefs, and will also receive Giorgio Armani Fragrances and Beauty amenity kits to keep them refreshed throughout their journey.
Qatar Airways Senior Vice President for Africa, Middle East & Pakistan, Mr. Ehab Amin, said: “We have seen very strong demand for our Johannesburg service since the launch of this route in 2005, especially in the premium cabins. We celebrated our 10th anniversary in Johannesburg last year, and over the last decade demand for Qatar Airways flights has grown. Last year, we increased frequencies to the city from 10 flights-a-week to double-daily flights. The additional service to Johannesburg reflects the growing demand for travel to and from this popular destination.
“Doha’s Hamad International Airport is well positioned as a gateway to destinations across continents and our Business Class passengers from Johannesburg can experience the award-winning Al Mourjan Business Lounge while transferring at the airport to go to any Qatar Airways global destination. We look forward to welcoming even more travellers on board to enjoy the premium service on our flights.”
Enjoy the award-winning Business Class to South Africa’s biggest metropolis Johannesburg.
The Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Doha has set new benchmarks for airport lounges offering a multitude of facilities such as a dedicated family room, games room for children, quiet room with individual and double occupancy resting areas, luxurious shower facilities, and a business centre offering 24/7 secretarial services. The central area of the lounge offers a vast range of seating options including a raised garden area with teak wood and garden furniture, flanked by a water feature. All passengers relaxing at the lounge can enjoy a 24-hour buffet serving international tapas and mezze and a full range of beverages.
The Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Doha has set new benchmarks for airport lounges offering a multitude of facilities such as a dedicated family room, games room for children, quiet room with individual and double occupancy resting areas, luxurious shower facilities, and a business centre offering 24/7 secretarial services. The central area of the lounge offers a vast range of seating options including a raised garden area with teak wood and garden furniture, flanked by a water feature. All passengers relaxing at the lounge can enjoy a 24-hour buffet serving international tapas and mezze and a full range of beverages.
Qatar Airways and British Airways expand their codeshare partneship
Qatar Airways also announce an expanded code-share agreement with British Airways, which will provide travellers with a wider choice of flights and an enhanced network.
Qatar Airways also announce an expanded code-share agreement with British Airways, which will provide travellers with a wider choice of flights and an enhanced network.
With the launch of British Airway’s non-stop service between London and Doha, travellers will benefit from seven daily flights to Heathrow, improving connectivity on to each airline’s network. The expanded code-share network will now also include all of British Airways’ flights within the United Kingdom, covering Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.
Additionally, Qatar Airways will code-share on a number of routes from London Heathrow to Europe, including all services to Dublin in Ireland; Hamburg and Stuttgart in Germany; Luxembourg; Basel in Switzerland; Bilbao, Malaga, Ibiza and Palma in Spain; Lisbon and Faro in Portugal; and Billund in Denmark.
Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “Following the recent news of our joint business agreement with British Airways, we are pleased to further strengthen our relationship with the announcement of these additional code-share flights across Europe, which will enhance our commercial cooperation and strengthen our competitive offering in the market.”
This code-share follows the recent announcement that Qatar Airways and British Airways will commence a joint business agreement from 30 October, the same date as the first direct scheduled daily British Airways flight flies between London Heathrow and Doha. As part of the agreement, all non-stop flights between the United Kingdom and Doha will operate under the code-share agreement allowing both oneworld carriers to provide passengers with better links between the UK, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
Passengers connecting through Qatar Airways’ hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, can enjoy a comfortable and efficient transit. The luxurious and modern airport has more than 40,000 square metres of retail space and restaurants including more than 70 retail and 30 food and beverage outlets, as well as a 25-metre swimming pool, gym, hotel and spa.
Qatar Airways increases flights to the Kinndom of Saudi Arabia
Finally, Qatar Airways has announced an increase in services to Dammam and Riyadh, connecting travellers from Saudi Arabia to more than 150 worldwide destinations through the award-winning Hamad International Airport in Doha.
Finally, Qatar Airways has announced an increase in services to Dammam and Riyadh, connecting travellers from Saudi Arabia to more than 150 worldwide destinations through the award-winning Hamad International Airport in Doha.
From 30th October 2016, Qatar Airways will add another eight flights a week to Riyadh and one more daily flight to Dammam, increasing its connectivity to the two major Saudi cities. Through its hub in Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways will operate four flights a day to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, and five daily flights to King Fahad International Airport in Dammam.
Mr. Ehab Amin said: “There has been significant demand for our services in the Kingdom within the last year, and we have stepped up our services to provide our passengers with the flights they need to make travelling more convenient.
Qatar Airways has announced an increase in services to Dammam and Riyadh, connecting travellers from Saudi Arabia to more than 150 worldwide destinations through the award-winning Hamad International Airport in Doha.
“By adding more flights, we are offering our travellers more choice to connect to our extensive network. With the increase in services to 158 weekly flights from eight points in the Kingdom, Qatar Airways will also have more First Class seats available, allowing even more passengers to experience the airline’s award-winning premium class service.”
The additional flights take Qatar Airways’ total connectivity within the Kingdom to 158 flights a week, serving eight destinations: Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Hofuf, Gassim, Taif, and Abha.
Qatar Airways, the official sponsor of Al-Ahli Saudi FC and F.C. Barcelona recently announced hosting a friendly football match bringing together both teams to play at Shiekh Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (Al-Gharrafa Stadium) on Tuesday, 13 December, 2016.
“The new increase in our services to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will enable fans of both teams to travel to Doha for the match in December, or travel directly to the clubs’ home town for matches, with more flight options making their journeys easier,” Mr. Amin said.
Travellers from Saudi Arabia can take advantage of the increased frequencies to visit the new destinations that Qatar Airways has announced this year, which include exciting cities all around the globe, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta in the USA, Adelaide in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand, and numerous others in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
