The
expansion represents a significant move for Qatar Airways into an
untapped market with Poland becoming the airline’s latest European
country to establish a foothold in.
The
Doha-based airline rounded off a busy 2012 year of expansion on
December 5 with its 12th and final route launch of the year when it
began operating non-stop scheduled flights from the State of Qatar to
Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.
Becoming
Qatar Airways’ 32nd European gateway, the addition of Warsaw takes
the airline’s global network to 122destinations across
Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South
America.
Looking
forward to another busy year in 2013, Qatar Airways is planning
further steps into the Polish market, busy preparing for the opening
of a brand new European Contact Centre in Wroclaw that is set to
initially create over 100 jobs.
The
new multi-lingual Customer Contact Centre will handle all the
airline’s European customer inquiries from key European markets by
phone, fax
and email. It will initially serve Poland, United
Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, with
more countries to be added.
The
fit-out and all technical installations necessary
for the office located in the new Epsilon Building will be completed
soon for a planned February 2013 opening.
The
management team of the new Qatar Airways Customer Contact Centre in
Wroclaw has been recruited and is in the process of hiring staff,
specifically seeking applicants with excellent customer service
skills and fluency in European languages.
Speaking
at a press conference in Warsaw, Qatar Airways Chief Executive
Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “With the launch of our new flights to
Warsaw and opening of our new customer contact centre in Wroclaw
early next year, Qatar Airways is extremely delighted to support the
local economy and give the people of Poland an exciting opportunity
to travel with us and work us, initially creating over 100 new jobs.
“We
are creating a great business venture contributing to both the
country of Poland and our airline’s development.
“I
sincerely thank our partners in Poland who have been instrumental in
the airline’s expansion into this country. I am confident that the
demand for services to and from here will steadily grow, allowing us
further increase the airline’s frequencies on the Warsaw – Doha
route over time,” added Al Baker.
“We
are very pleased to provide travellers with a connection to the world
from Warsaw, one of Europe’s fastest developing cities. Poles will
gain great connections via our Doha hub to diverse cities such as
Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, Johannesburg and Melbourne and
will have the opportunity to experience our renowned five-star
service.”
The
Warsaw – Doha route is being operated four-times-a-week with a
modern Airbus A320, featuring 144 seats in a two-class configuration
of 12 in Business Class and 132 in Economy. The aircraft offers
seatback TV screens providing passengers with the next generation
interactive onboard entertainment system and a choice of more than
800 audio and video on
demand options, together with an SMS text messaging service from each
seat.
Warsaw
becomes the third destination after Zagreb and Belgrade to be added
to Qatar Airways’ flight schedules in Central Eastern Europe this
year.
