Qatar Airways hosts press conference in Cardiff to celebrate inaugural flight to Welsh capital

To celebrate the launch of Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, hosted a press conference today at The Principal St David’s Hotel, Cardiff.

Alongside Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, today’s press conference was hosted by Rt. Hon Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales and Mr Roger Lewis, Chairman of Cardiff Airport.

Also in attendance were honorary guests, H.E. Mr. Yousef Ali Al-Khater, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the UK and H.E. Mr Ajay Sharma, British Ambassador to the State of Qatar.

At the press conference, H.E. Mr. Al Baker highlighted the award-winning airline’s commitment to bringing more travellers to Wales, and to connecting the people of Wales to its extensive global route network via the award-winning Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha.

H.E. Mr. Al Baker said: “Cardiff has long been on our wish list of destinations to add to our global route map, and we are delighted to be here today to celebrate this important milestone in the history of our airline. We are tremendously excited to now be able to serve the people of both Wales and South West England, providing them with world-class service and seamless connections to the many destinations on our global route network. We also look forward to bringing travellers from around the globe to Cardiff, enabling them to experience the many attractions this unique city has to offer.”

Chairman of Cardiff Airport, Mr. Roger Lewis, who co-hosted the press conference in Cardiff, said: “We want to express our warmest welcome to Qatar Airways and its new route between Cardiff and Doha. We welcome tourists from Doha and beyond to enjoy Wales’ beautiful landscapes, traditions and culture. There are many great reasons to visit the stunning and diverse country of Wales, from innovative architecture, world class entertainment, quality shopping and exceptional museums to beautiful countryside featuring rolling hills, national parks and scenic coastlines.”

Qatar Airways flew its ultra-modern Airbus A350-900 to celebrate the inaugural flight. Going forward, the airline will operate its Cardiff service with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Qatar’s national carrier was voted Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ by travellers from around the world, the airline also won a raft of other major awards at the 2017 ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 150 destinations worldwide. Earlier this year, Qatar Airways revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations for 2018-19, in line with its expedited expansion plans, including London Gatwick, United Kingdom; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece and Málaga, Spain.

Initial Schedule:

Doha to Cardiff on Tuesday, Sunday:

QR323 Departure 01:15 Arrival 06:40

Doha to Cardiff on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday:

QR321 Departure 07:25 Arrival 12:50

Cardiff to Doha on Tuesday, Sunday:

QR324 Departure 08:10 Arrival 17:00

Cardiff to Doha on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday:

QR322 Departure 15:55 Arrival 00:45 (next day)

From 17-Jun:

Doha to Cardiff on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday:

QR323 Departure 01:15 Arrival 06:40

Doha to Cardiff on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday:

QR321 Departure 07:25 Arrival 12:50

Cardiff to Doha on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday:

QR324 Departure 08:10 Arrival 17:00

Cardiff to Doha on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday:

QR322 Departure 15:55 Arrival 00:45 (next day)