Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, reinforced the five-star airline's expanding route network in Africa with the announcement of its third destination in South Africa, Durban, served via Johannesburg.

Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, has revealed the extension of the A350 XWB service throughout 2015, during the airline’s press conference at ITB Berlin.

The press conference, attended by more than 100 international media, also celebrated Qatar Airways’ strong connections with Germany and highlighted the 10-year anniversary of the airline’s first flight to Berlin in 2005 with an A319 aircraft, a route now operated with an A330 wide-body aircraft.

Further expansion was also announced with the new routes of Durban, via Johannesburg in South Africa, which will debut this December, alongside the inaugural flight to Amsterdam, which takes place this June. Pakistan was also cited as a key growth market for the airline, with three new routes launching this summer to Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan, complementing the airline’s four existing gateways of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.

Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, commented: “The last 12 months have been characterised by significant fleet expansion for the airline, which is set to continue throughout 2015. This year we are pleased to be able to offer our passengers additional innovative new products within our broad destination network, most notably with the introduction of the world’s newest aircraft, the A350 XWB.

“It is fitting that we are back in Germany today, celebrating not only the recent launch of the A350 XWB on the Frankfurt route and the fact that this destination will soon be the recipient of the world’s second A350 XWB, but also acknowledging the 10-year anniversary of our Berlin route.”

Qatar Airways maintains a strong annual presence at ITB Berlin, highlighting its unique Five-Star offering and uses the show as a platform at which to update the travel industry on its latest products and initiatives. This year, not only is the airline celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its route to Berlin, but also the newly inaugurated A350 XWB’s first commercial route, for which the airline chose another of its German destinations, Frankfurt.

Those attending the press conference were also updated on the latest amenities on board for First, Business and Economy Class passengers. First Class passengers will now enjoy luxurious male and female sleeper suits from Italian designer Missoni, complemented by amenity kits by Giorgio Armani. Business Class passengers will also enjoy Giorgio Armani amenity kits, tailored to male or female passengers and enjoy newly introduced Ladurée Parisian delicacies, available in both First and Business cabins, while Economy Class passengers will also benefit from a newly designed amenity kit.

Qatar Airways is also doubling its movie content on board this spring, with a selection of over 500 movies to enjoy, including the world’s latest premieres, while increasing its selection of TV programmes from 700 to over 1,500, including the latest box sets, complementing its range of over 200 CDs and 50 games, which cater for all ages.

As the global launch customer for the new Airbus A350 XWB, the first flight of the all-new family of wide-body aircraft took place on 15 January 2015 on the Frankfurt - Doha route, and it will soon be joined by Qatar Airways’ second A350 XWB, taking this service with the world’s newest aircraft to double-daily.

With a total of 80 A350 XWB aircraft on order, the airline is one of the world’s fastest growing and has one of the most modern fleets in the sky. His Excellency, Mr. Al Baker, also announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline to operate the A350 XWB to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region from June this year, adding the airline’s third, fourth and fifth A350 XWB aircraft on the three daily flights to Singapore.

The A350 XWB is significantly quieter than previous models due to its aerodynamic characteristics, thus promoting localised noise reduction for aircraft arriving in Frankfurt.  The external noise level of the A350 XWB is up to 21 perceived decibels below prescribed guidelines, and overall the aircraft also has lower fuel consumption for reduced CO2 production.

To mark this occasion, the airline announced that visitors to the Qatar Airways’ booth in Hall 22B would be able to experience first-hand the luxury of the A350 XWB, with a display version of the Business Class seat and unique welcome dome, accompanying the airline’s new First Class A380 seat, which is also on display.