Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker has said the airline intends to add Florence to its network when the airport’s runway extension is complete.
The Doha-based carrier also expects to conclude its deal to acquire 49% of Meridiana Fly by January 2017 if the Italian airline meets the conditions of the purchase.
These matters were discussed at a press briefing hosted by al-Baker during his recent visit to Tuscany, Italy.
Celebrating the launch of the airline’s flights to Pisa in August this year, the press meet was also attended by Abdulaziz bin Ahmed al-Malki al-Jehani, Qatar’s ambassador to Italy.
During the briefing, al-Baker gave the national and regional media an update on the airline’s expansion plans in Italy. He said: “Italy is an incredibly important destination in our network and we will keep investing in new routes and increased services in this market. Once the runway extension at Florence Airport is complete, we fully intend to start a service to this historic city, which is so important to tourism in the region. We are also committed to upgrading the aircraft type currently flying to Pisa from an A320 to a wide-body model as soon as we receive more aircraft in our fleet.”
An update on the status of Qatar Airways’ negotiations with Meridiana Fly – for a 49% stake in the Italian airline – was also provided by al-Baker: “We are hoping to have our discussions concluded by the end of January. During this period, Meridiana Fly also has to deliver certain conditions and achieve certain targets in its performance. We want Meridiana Fly to be a very strong national carrier with a robust international network, creating jobs for the young people of Italy.”
Qatar Airways is flying the Airbus A320 daily to Pisa, the airline’s fourth Italian destination. It has been flying to Milan since 2002, Rome since 2003 and Venice since 2011.
The airline now offers six daily frequencies to Italy: two to Milan and Rome and one each to Venice and Pisa. The new daily flight to Pisa has increased the airline’s weekly flights from Doha to Italy from 35 to 42.