Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Fathi Al Shehab, centre, with airline staff and invited guests at the boarding gate for Qatar Airways' inaugural flight to Amritsar.
Amritsar, INDIA – Qatar Airways’ maiden flight to the northern Indian state of Punjab landed in the holy city of Amritsar this morning just days out from the festive Diwali celebrations.
The flight from Doha – Qatar Airways’ operational hub – received a colourful and noisy send off as a troupe of Punjabi bhangra dancers provided a festive atmosphere at the boarding gate at Doha International Airport ahead of the inaugural flight.
Doha-based Indian leaders joined Qatar Airways senior management for the departure celebrations at the airport.
The launch also heralds the arrival of the only full-service scheduled global airline to the historic city in Punjab State.
With Diwali – the festival of lights – celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs around the world and falling this year on October 17, the arrival of flight QR 298 from Doha to Amritsar was a welcome sign ahead of the festive season.
The inaugural flight to Raja Sansi International Airport on the outskirts of Amritsar was packed with passengers heading to the city to celebrate the annual festival. The colourful city of Amritsar is home to the famous Golden Temple, the holy place of worship for the Sikh religion – a site that draws more visitors annually than India’s renowned Taj Mahal.
Passengers board Qatar Airways' inaugural flight to Amritsar. All passenger's received a commemorative tee-shirt to mark the occasion of the airline's first flight to the northern Indian city.
Qatar Airways passengers flying from North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East to Doha have excellent onward late evening connections to Amritsar. The airline is operating the route four-times-a-week non-stop from Qatar’s capital city using a two-class Airbus A320, with 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class.
Over the next few weeks, the idyllic Indian beach holiday destination of Goa will join the network from October 25, and flights to the Australian city of Melbourne are due to start on December 6.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that the first Amritsar flight signalled the start of a new period of planned route expansion.
“These are exciting times for Qatar Airways with three route launches in less than two months, which demonstrates the robust growth we are still experiencing,” he said.
“Qatar Airways and, indeed the State of Qatar, have close ties with India which are today strengthening with the launch of flights to Amritsar. I am extremely indebted to the authorities in Amritsar for welcoming Qatar Airways with open arms to this wonderful, historic city.
“Amritsar is highly underserved by international airlines so we are pleased to be filling a void with our award-winning service to and from this highly popular destination in north India.”
Qatar Airways currently operates 60 flights a week between Doha and India – daily non-stop services to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode. The addition of Goa will take Qatar Airways’ Indian capacity up to 64 flights a week.
Added Al Baker: “By bringing forward the launch date of Amritsar, we are able to meet the huge demand anticipated in time for the Diwali festive holidays celebrated by devotees of many religions, including Sikhism, during October. Amritsar is very much the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh religion.”
The two Indian routes are the first wave of destinations added to Qatar Airways’ route network over a four-month period, including the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney, and two further cities in Europe.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 70 aircraft to 83 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America.