Qatar Airways to launch Gassim service in January

Qatar Airways will fly to its fifth destination in Saudi Arabia - Gassim from January 7 next year. The national airline already serves Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Qatar Airways will operate four-flights-a-week to Gassim, which will be serviced by an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in first class and 132 in economy. Situated 400km northwest of Riyadh, Gassim is Saudi Arabia’s seventh most populated province with a rich agricultural industry. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar al-Baker said he was delighted the airline was boosting services to Saudi Arabia, a market where the carrier had more than doubled frequency over the past year. “Today Qatar Airways operates some 60 flights a week across four destinations in Saudi Arabia, which will rise to 64 with the addition of Gassim as our newest route, representing the importance and commitment Qatar Airways has in the Saudi market,” he said. “From Gassim, passengers will be able to travel seamlessly through our Doha hub to popular cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Washington -some great examples of offering passengers across Saudi Arabia with increased travel options and greater flexibility. “Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years, reporting the strongest increase in passenger traffic in more than a decade in 2011, with more than 54mn passengers travelling from the country last year. “With increased government investment in the private sector and major infrastructure developments underway, we are very excited about our expansion plans in the kingdom,” al-Baker added. From gulf times.