Travel
QATAR AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES ZANZIBAR AS NEW ROUTE IN AFRICAN CONTINENT
Airline’s African growth drive continues with five weekly flights to Zanzibar and new direct flights to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania from 1st July 2015
Launch of Zanzibar means Qatar Airways will be serving 20 destinations in Africa
DOHA, Qatar – Effective from 1st July 2015, Qatar Airways will launch flights to Zanzibar, the airline’s third gateway in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro. The new five-times-a-week flight to Zanzibar will operate via Kilimanjaro. The current Kilimanjaro flights which today are served by Qatar Airways via Dar es Salaam will be made non-stop from Doha to Kilimanjaro commencing 1st July 2015, with return flights from Kilimanjaro to Doha served via Zanzibar.
The new destination Zanzibar and the launch of direct flights to Kilimanjaro will add even more options for passengers when travelling to any of the more than 140 destinations served by Qatar Airways. Similarly, passengers from the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe can now take advantage of connections to these Tanzanian cities via Doha’s hub, Hamad International Airport.
The mystic spice island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean will take the total number of destinations in the airline’s African network to 20 cities. The new destination makes a perfect island holiday spot for leisure travellers with its white sandy beaches, abundant wild life, rich culture and long history.
“Today’s announcement of new services to Zanzibar reflects our commitment to connect diverse cities via our Doha hub and offer our passengers an extensive range of exciting global destinations. As our 20th gateway in Africa, Zanzibar will strengthen our presence as one of the biggest airlines flying to the African continent,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker.
Qatar Airways’ African expansion in the past weeks has included the announcement of a new destination Durban and increase in flights to Johannesburg which will launch on 17th December 2015, and also an increase in frequency to Cape Town from 1st October this year.
Qatar Airways has been operating in Tanzania ever since the airline launched flights to Dar es Salaam in 2007. The Tanzanian operation was expanded in 2012 when the airline launched flights to Kilimanjaro.
“I would like to thank the Tanzanian government for supporting our newest route to Zanzibar. The exposure of Zanzibar to the world through Qatar Airways’ global network will enable Tanzania to attract even more tourists and businesses alike,” added Mr. Al Baker.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 150 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
The Doha – Kilimanjaro – Zanzibar route will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.
The Doha – Kilimanjaro – Zanzibar schedules starting from 1st July 2015 are:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Depart Doha QR1355 at 08:50, arrive Kilimanjaro at 14:20
Depart Kilimanjaro QR1355 at 15:20, arrive Zanzibar at 16:20
Depart Zanzibar QR1355 at 17:20, arrive Doha at 22:35
Qatar Airways celebrated its one year anniversary, in October 2014, of joining the oneworld global alliance. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join this global airline alliance, enabling its passengers to benefit from almost 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures. The award-winning oneworld alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2014 by Skytrax for the second year running.
At the Farnborough Air Show, the airline placed an order for 100 Boeing 777X aircraft, taking Qatar Airways’ orders to more than 340 aircraft with a value of US $70 billion.
