Qatar Airways has announced that it will operate a new service between Doha and Birmingham, UK, from March 30, 2016, adding to its existing services to London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh.
With eight flights a week, including two on Saturdays, passengers travelling to and from Birmingham will have access to “convenient and seamless transfers at the airline’s state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA)”, the airline said in a statement yesterday.
With this, the Doha-based airline will operate a total of 71 weekly flights from Doha to
the UK.
Birmingham is the largest and most populous British city outside of London and is situated in the West Midlands. The city attracts nearly 34mn people a year for both business and pleasure and is ideally situated at the centre of the UK’s rail and motorway network.
Akbar al-Baker, Group chief executive of Qatar Airways, said: “We are delighted to announce Birmingham as Qatar Airways’ fourth destination in the UK from March 2016. This additional route strengthens Qatar Airways’ commitment to the regions across the UK and will create new commercial and leisure links between the city of Birmingham and the 152 destinations served by the airline.
“We look forward to welcoming new passengers on board our award-winning product, and to connecting Birmingham to the rest of our rapidly expanding network.”
Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, added: “This is fantastic news for both Birmingham Airport and the region, and is our 10th new airline to announce or launch this year. Not only will our passengers have the choice of flying with the award winning carrier to Doha’s state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport, they will also have a choice of 152 destinations served by the airline, including Southeast Asia, China and
Australasia.”
The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has a two-cabin configuration, comprising 22 seats in business class and 232 in economy.
The schedule between Doha and Birmingham from March 30, 2016, is as follows: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - departing Doha at 1.25am and arriving in Birmingham at 6.45am, and departing Birmingham at 9.15am and arriving in Doha at 6.05pm.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday - departing Doha at 7.30am and arriving in Birmingham at 12.50pm, and departing Birmingham at 3pm and arriving in Doha at 11.50pm.