Inaugural Qatar Airways flight lands at Dublin

DOHA: Dublin welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight from Doha, inaugurating the new daily service that connects Dublin to the world.

Jonathan Harding, senior vice president of Qatar Airways Europe, travelled on board the inaugural flight and was greeted by Kevin Toland, daa chief executive, Vincent Harrison, Dublin Airport managing director and Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland.

To celebrate this special occasion, the award-winning airline flew its next-generation Airbus A350 aircraft to Dublin, giving VIP guests and key media the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art aircraft. This was the first time a commercial passenger Airbus A350 aircraft has landed on Irish soil and the feedback from those on board was extremely positive.

Going forward, Qatar Airways will operate its daily Dublin service with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has a two-class configuration including 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways group chief executive said, “The launch of our new service to Dublin is an important milestone for Qatar Airways. The new service will connect the Irish people with more destinations globally and provide them the opportunity to experience our five-star service. We look forward to welcoming our new passengers on board and to connecting them to Doha and beyond.”

Toland said, “We want to express our warmest welcome to Qatar Airways and its new route between Dublin and Doha. This is a fantastic addition to our selection of destina- tions, and it is a great opportunity to boost Ireland’s tourism.”

The launch of the new route to Dublin will be Qatar Airways’ firstever service to the Republic of Ireland, giving passengers easier access to the Middle East, Asia and Australia, with seamless connections to Sydney, Hong Kong, Melbourne and many more attractive destinations.

Dublin is a hub for more than 1,000 leading multi-national companies and the daily non-stop service will connect both business and leisure travellers to the airline’s extensive network. Irish residents will experience Qatar Airways’ renowned on-board service and will be able to enjoy the airline’s relaunched superior Oryx One entertainment system offering up to 3,000 entertainment options.

The new direct flights to Dublin will also provide Qatar Airways Cargo customers 80 tonnes of belly-hold capacity each week. Temperature-controlled products are the major exports out of Ireland and the cargo carrier is proficient in supporting air logistics through its specialist solutions QR Pharma, for pharmaceuticals and QR Fresh, for perishables. In partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority, Qatar Airways has recently rolled out the +Qatar campaign, which gives Irish passengers the chance to book a complimentary hotel stay in some of Doha’s finest hotels as well as obtaining a free transit visa.

The airline has also made its presence in the market felt with key sponsorships at exciting events around the city.