Leading figures from Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority and national carrier Qatar Airways joined forces to attend a key global forum of airlines and airports in Dubai where they presented their vision of Qatar’s aviation industry.

Routes, an annual conference and exhibition on international route development, was held over three days at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, Chairman of both the Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar and the New Doha International Airport Steering Committee, was joined at the forum by NDIA committee members Mohammed Al Meer, Abdulla Al Subaey and Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker.

The New Doha International Airport, which opens in 2009, is billed as an architectural icon of the Middle East - the region’s first airport built on reclaimed land from the sea. An impressive state-of-the-art stand featuring rendered images and a wooden scale model of the new airport attracted scores of visitors during Routes.

The New Doha International Airport will be the new home for Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, which currently operates to more than 70 international destinations with a fleet of 49 modern aircraft.

Qatar Airways has an ambitious plan to expand its route and fleet network to more than 100 destinations and 110 aircraft, respectively by the year 2015, when the new airport will have a capacity to handle up to 50 million passengers a year.

Al Nuaimi said Routes was an excellent networking forum to explore new route opportunities with airports and airlines from around the world.

“We were delighted to present the credentials of both Qatar Airways and the New Doha International Airport at what was a highly important aviation gathering and, provide delegates with an opportunity to see first hand the vision of Qatar’s aviation scene over the next few years,” he said.

‘The New Doha International Airport will be a key economic driver of the State of Qatar and, together with the rapid development of the national airline Qatar Airways, will continue to help put the country in the global spotlight.’

Routes has established itself as one of the world’s premier airline and airport network events, focusing on the development of international services. Conceived 11 years ago, Routes is held annually in different parts of the world.

Qatar Airways is one of only four airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the fourth year running in 2006 and second best worldwide following a survey of more than 12 million passengers worldwide.

The airline is a launch customer of the twin-deck Airbus A380 ‘super jumbos’ with four aircraft on order and scheduled for delivery from 2009 to coincide with the opening of the New Doha International Airport. For more information, visit www.ndiaproject.com

Qatar Airways averages just under 40 per cent annual growth in both passenger numbers and revenue. For the financial year that ended in March, Qatar Airways carried more than 6.3 million passengers worldwide.
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