DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced the resumptions of services to Sofia via Bucharest, marking the 100th destination to be added back to its global network. The three weekly flights to Sofia starting from 16 October 2020 will see the airline’s network expand to more than 700 weekly flights across six continents.

The following destinations are planned to resume flights or increase frequencies:
•    Bucharest (three weekly flights starting 16 October)
•    Copenhagen (increased to 10 weekly flights from 12 October)
•    Madrid (increased to 10 weekly flights from 12 October)
•    Manchester (increased to 17 weekly flights from 12 October)
•    Singapore (increasing to double daily flights from 25 October)
•    Sofia (three weekly flights starting 16 October)
•    Stockholm (increased to 10 weekly flights from 12 October)

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “As one of the few airlines to have continuously flown throughout the pandemic to take passengers home safely and reliably, we are proud reach this significant milestone in the rebuild of our network. Our focus is not only on restarting destinations but also operating as many frequencies as possible to provide our passengers the flexibility to travel when they want. With more than 700 weekly frequencies currently, and plans to increase our network to more than 125 destinations by the end of 2020, our passengers will enjoy more options to travel when they want across the globe, safely and reliably.”

Since the onset of the pandemic, Qatar Airways has flown over 175 million kilometres taking home over 2.3 million passengers on over 37,000 flights. The airline has also operated more than 400 charter flights across the world enabling it to stay up to date with the latest airport and national health procedures and maintain a finger on the pulse of global passenger flows, in particular in markets where it does not operate regular scheduled flights.

Qatar Airways’ onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. 

Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals.  It is the first entity in the world to achieve independent verification from BSI (British Standards Institution) for its implementation of COVID-19 ICAO Aviation Health Safety Protocols. The verification was conducted following successful audits for Compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce ICAO CART. This important achievement marks the State of Qatar as the first country in the world to be verified by BSI for its COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol Implementation.

Sparing no effort in safeguarding its passengers, HIA continues to maintain a 1.5 metre physical distancing across all passenger touchpoints around the airport, through floor markings, signage and distanced seating. All passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes. All gates and bus gate counters are being cleaned after each flight. HIA’s retail and food and beverage outlets encourage contactless and cashless transactions through cards and are considering introducing online or in-app purchases in the future. The airport also conducts regular disinfection of all baggage trolleys and tubs.

SOURCE: THEPENINSULAQATAR