Qatar Airways launches Doha-Durban route

Qatar Airways will launch new services between Doha and Durban on Thursday, December 17, 2015.

The four-times-weekly service to Durban further complements the airline’s existing daily flights to Cape Town and double daily flights to Johannesburg, and is an expansion of the airline’s operations in South Africa. Travellers can now choose from a total of 21 flights a week to South Africa from Qatar Airways’ hub Hamad International Airport. 

Qatar and South Africa have a very strong trade relationship, further strengthened by Durban’s significant economic growth which has been bolstered by a number of multinational companies recently building their presence in the city. Qatar Airways’ new route will help to meet a growing demand from passengers seeking business and leisure trips to Durban and will better serve travellers from South Africa who are seeking greater connections to the Middle East, Europe, United States, Asia Pacific and South Asia. 

“Qatar is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and we are proud to strengthen this business relationship with the launch of our new route connecting Durban directly to Doha. With its excellent aviation infrastructure and the development of the Dube TradePort, we expect the number of business and employment opportunities in Durban to increase,” said Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, who will travel on board the inaugural Qatar Airways Boeing 787-Dreamliner on 17 December 2015. 

“Durban’s prestige is recognised by the world-class events it has been chosen to host, further reinforcing the city’s strong and vibrant future as a global tourism destination,” added  Al Baker.