Initially
starting as a thrice-weekly service, the Doha-based airline will
enhance capacity on the non-stop Chicago route to a daily operation
from June 15.
Following
the inaugural flight and airport ceremony at Chicago O’Hare
International Airport on Wednesday, Qatar Airways Chief Executive
Officer Akbar Al Baker welcomed US-based and international
journalists to a Press Conference to discuss the new route and the
airline’s increasingly pivotal role in the global aviation
industry.
The
United States remains a focal point for the airline, with Al Baker
hinting at the possibility of additional routes within the country
over the next few years.
He
said the airline launched its North American operations in the summer
of 2007 with flights to New York and Washington DC, followed by
Houston, Montreal and now, Chicago with a total of 27 scheduled
flights each week to five gateways across the region.
“With
the new American Airlines code share, we are able to connect more
passengers with seamless access through Chicago. And later this year,
we hope to officially become a member of the oneworld alliance that
will provide Qatar Airways with a stronger network around the world,
including the vitally important US market.”
Media
also heard of the airline’s aggressive expansion so far this year
that has seen Chicago joined by new additions to Qatar Airways’
global map – namely, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, the Iraqi city of
Najaf and Gassim in Saudi Arabia. Over the next few weeks and months,
Qatar Airways will launch flights to Salalah in Oman, Chengdu in
China and the Iraqi cities of Basra and Sulaymaniyah.
With
the opening of a brand new gateway in Doha – Hamad International
Airport – in phases this year to cope with the rapid expansion of
the national airline, Qatar Airways is gearing up for another busy
period of operations during 2013.
