Qatar Airways launches seventh US destination

Qatar Airways began daily non-stop services between Hamad International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport on Tuesday.
DFW is the carrier's second destination in Texas following Houston, its seventh in the US and 144th worldwide, Qatar Airways said in a statement said.
The new destination will serve as a "crucial junction" between Doha and other destinations across USA, including Austin, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, through the airline's oneworld alliance partners, the statement said.
"Today we are delighted to welcome Dallas/Fort Worth into our expanding global network," said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker.
"We are particularly pleased to begin serving the home city of our oneworld alliance partner American Airlines. Together, we can provide North Texas and the surrounding region with unparalleled service and better connections to Doha and around the world," he said.
Dallas/Fort Worth is a world centre for major American corporations. The region is also home to major oil and gas companies, including Exxon Mobil.
For his part, Sean Donohue, DFW Airport's CEO, said "Our partnership with Qatar Airways and today's inaugural flight from Doha is exciting for the Airport and the millions of passengers we serve. Dallas/Fort Worth customers now have nonstop access to a new destination in the Gulf Region," adding, "DFW is an integral economic driver to the region and this new nonstop service will add approximately $200 million annually to our economy." The new route is operated with a Boeing 777-200LR configured with 217 Economy Class seats and 42 Business Class seats.
Outbound passengers to Doha will enjoy fast, convenient connections to key destinations throughout the world, including Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok and Perth, via the world's newest international hub, Hamad International Airport.
Officially commencing full operations on 1 May, Hamad International Airport offers state-of-the-art facilities and is capable of handling over 360,000 flights and 30 million passengers annually, with a fluid capacity of 50 million passengers after full completion.
Qatar Airways operates one of the youngest fleets in the sky and will be adding the highly anticipated Airbus A380s and A350s in the near future.
During the 2013 Dubai Air Show, Qatar Airways placed orders for more than 60 new aircraft – a mixture of Boeing 777X and Airbus A330 Freighters. In total it has 300 aircraft on order worth more than US $50 billion.