Qatar Airways has continued its expansion into Africa with the launch of services to its twelfth new destination this year, the Eritrean capital Asmara. Launched on December 4th, the new route will provide passengers to and from Eritrea with two weekly flights connecting Asmara via Doha to more than 140 destinations around the world.

Qatar Airways celebrated the new destination launch with a VIP reception held at the Asmara Palace Hotel. The reception which was attended by more than 200 guests including Ministers, Ambassadors and the Corporate and Travel Trade industry was hosted by Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Marwan Koleilat, who extended a warm welcome to the guests as they celebrated the launch of the new link between the State of Eritrea and the State of Qatar.

“Qatar Airways is proud to be the first five-star airline to launch non-stop flights to Asmara and the commencement of our services here is another example of Qatar Airways’ commitment to opening up access to markets that we believe have great potential,” said Mr. Koleilat.

“On behalf of our Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the government officials, airport authorities and the travel trade here in the city of Asmara who have been tremendously supportive of this new service.”

The State of Qatar and the State of Eritrea have enjoyed excellent collaboration and share a long-standing relationship. Strategically located by the Red Sea, the economy of Eritrea has experienced considerable growth in recent years as the country has capitalised on its extensive deposits of natural resources. At the same time, Asmara also has much to offer the leisure traveller being a city steeped in rich architecture and culture.

“The start of our five-star services to Eritrea signifies our commitment to opening our doors for even stronger business ties and supporting greater commercial development with the international business community,” added Mr. Koleilat.

At the VIP reception, guests enjoyed entertainment from an eclectic mix of international jazz musicians and traditional Oud music from Qatar. The evening culminated with a grand finale raffle draw, where guests had a chance to win two fantastic prizes of Business and Economy Class tickets to any of the 146 world-wide destinations of Qatar Airways.

The Doha – Asmara route is operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft offering up to 144 seats in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and up to 132 seats in Economy.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operations, and is currently flying a modern fleet of 142 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Passengers can book tickets through registered travel agents and the Qatar Airways website www.qatarairways.com to take advantage of the airline’s seamless connections to popular destinations including Dubai, Frankfurt, Stockholm, London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Chicago and Washington via the airline’s Doha hub.