Dublin welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight from Doha earlier, inaugurating a new daily service designed to connect the city to the world.

Senior vice president of Qatar Airways Europe, Jonathan Harding, travelled on board the inaugural flight and was greeted by daa chief executive, Kevin Toland; Dublin Airport managing director, Vincent Harrison; and chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons.

To celebrate this special occasion, the award-winning airline flew its next-generation Airbus A350 aircraft to Dublin, giving VIP guests and key media the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art aircraft.

This was the first time a commercial passenger Airbus A350 aircraft has landed on Irish soil and the feedback from those on board was extremely positive.

Going forward, Qatar Airways will operate its daily Dublin service with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has a two-class configuration including 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy.

Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The launch of our new service to Dublin is an important milestone for Qatar Airways.

“The new service will connect the Irish people with more destinations globally and provide them the opportunity to experience our five-star service.

“We look forward to welcoming our new passengers on board and to connecting them to Doha and beyond.”

The launch of the new route to Dublin will be Qatar Airways’ first-ever service to the Republic of Ireland, giving passengers easier access to the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Dublin is a hub for more than 1,000 leading multi-national companies and the daily non-stop service will connect both business and leisure travellers to the airline’s extensive network.

Irish residents will experience Qatar Airways’ renowned on-board service and will be able to enjoy the airline’s relaunched superior Oryx One entertainment system offering up to 3,000 entertainment options.

Toland, said: “We want to express our warmest welcome to Qatar Airways and its new route between Dublin and Doha.

“This is a fantastic addition to our selection of destinations, and it is a great opportunity to boost Ireland’s tourism.”