Press release -
Qatar Airways' flights from Edinburgh increase to a daily scheduled service
Qatar Airways will begin to operate a daily direct scheduled service from Edinburgh Airport to Doha’s Hamad International Airport from 1st May 2015, marking and celebrating a year since the successful launch of the original five services per week, with the additional frequencies reinforcing Qatar Airways’ commitment to Scotland.
The daily QR028 outbound service and QR027 inbound service, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will give passengers even greater access to more than 140 worldwide destinations served by Qatar Airways through its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport.
The Dreamliner has a two-cabin configuration, comprising of 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats. All seats include individual television screens, with Economy Class customers benefitting from a screen 10.6-inches wide, offering the latest inflight entertainment comprised of up to 2,000 channels while experiencing the airline’s award-winning five-star service.
Travelling from Edinburgh, the route has this year allowed enhanced travel times from the Scottish capital to destinations around the world with just one smooth international transfer through Doha’s Hamad International Airport, without the need for any domestic transfers within the UK.
UK and Ireland Country Manager, Richard Oliver, said: “Offering a daily service to Edinburgh is a clear reflection of the popularity of this route since its launch in May last year. The new daily service will allow Qatar Airways to further support and promote Scotland’s leisure and business opportunities to different markets on our airline’s global network.”
Mike Cantlay OBE, Chairman of VisitScotland said: “One of our main strategies is to partner with key global airlines and continue to further develop Scotland’s air connectivity. Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld alliance and this exciting new daily service will make it even easier for millions of members from across Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East to come and visit Scotland.
The most popular destinations for those using the Edinburgh-Doha route are predominantly in Asia, and Australasia, with journey times to Melbourne reduced from approximately 26 hours with two transfers, to just 20 hours with one quick international transfer at Hamad International Airport.
Hamad International Airport offers 40,000 square metres of combined retail, food and beverage facilities, establishing the airport as a premier shopping and dining destination. With more than 70 retail outlets offering an unprecedented selection of designer labels, high street fashion, electronics, gourmet foods and much more, the airport caters to passengers every taste. The terminal also features a unique airside swimming pool, gym, two squash courts and a hotel, all within a moments reach of the departure gates.
Edinburgh is Qatar Airways’ third destination in the UK, preceded by London in 1997 and Manchester in 2003.
EDINBURGH to/from DOHA:
Daily:
QR 028 departs Edinburgh (EDI) at 14:30; arrives Doha (DOH) at 23:30
QR 027 departs Doha (DOH) at 07:45; arrives Edinburgh (EDI) at 13:00
For further information, please contact
Paul Charles / Philip Allport / Katie Moine / Alana Fogarty at Perowne Charles Communications (PCC) via qatarairways@verypcc.com
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
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Regions
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Notes to Editors
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- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
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Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
