Dublin Airport welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight from Doha yesterday, Monday 12th June, inaugurating the new daily service that connects Dublin to more than 150 destinations worldwide. Jonathan Harding, Senior Vice President Europe, travelled onboard the inaugural flight and was greeted by Kevin Toland, daa Chief Executive; Vincent Harrison, Dublin Airport Managing Director; and Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive, Tourism Ireland.
To celebrate the special occasion, Qatar Airways flew its new-generation Airbus A350 WXB aircraft to Dublin, giving VIP guests and media the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art aircraft. This was the first time a commercial passenger A350 had landed on Irish soil.
From today, Qatar Airways will operate its daily Dublin-Doha service with a B787 Dreamliner, which has a two-class configuration including 22 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration and 232 seats in Economy Class in 3-3-3. In comparison, the A350 WXB, which passengers connecting onward to Singapore will experience, has 36 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 247 Economy Class seats in 3-3-3, with up to 80cm (32”) pitch.
H.E. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, 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 5-star service. We look forward to welcoming our new passengers onboard and to connecting them to Doha and beyond.”
Kevin 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 and trade.”
Current and Future Destinations
The new route to Dublin is Qatar Airways’ first-ever service to Ireland, giving passengers easier access to the Middle East, Asia and Australia, with seamless connections to Bangkok, Hong Kong, China, Melbourne, Sydney and many more destinations.
Following the Dublin launch, Qatar Airways will be adding flights to 24 more destinations in 2017/2018, including Cardiff, Wales; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Mombasa, Kenya; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Chiang Mai and Utapao, Thailand; Medan, Indonesia; and Canberra, Australia.
The recently imposed air traffic control restrictions in the Middle East do not affect Qatar Airways flights from Europe or to Asia and Australasia, but flight durations to Africa are slightly longer.
+Qatar Campaign
In partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority, Qatar Airways recently rolled out the +Qatar campaign, which gives Irish passengers the chance to book a complimentary hotel stay in some of Doha’s finest hotels as well as obtaining a free transit visa.
Sponsorships
The airline has also made its presence in the Irish market felt with key sponsorships at events around the city, including the Dublin Horse Show and the Darley Irish Oaks Day at the Curragh Racetrack. These partnerships celebrate the Irish and Qatari affinity for horses.
Dublin-Doha Flight Schedules
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday:
Doha (DOH) to Dublin (DUB) QR017 departs 07.45, arrives 13.20
Dublin (DUB) to Doha (DOH) QR018 departs 15.25, arrives 00.30
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Doha (DOH) to Dublin (DUB) QR019 departs 01.50, arrives 07.25
Dublin (DUB) to Doha (DOH) QR020 departs 08.50, arrives 17.55
Cargo Options
Qatar Airways is the third largest international cargo carrier and has over 50 dedicated freighter routes, including some not served by scheduled passenger flights.
The new direct flights from Dublin will provide Qatar Airways Cargo’s customers with 80 tonnes of belly-hold capacity each week. Temperature-controlled products are the major exports out of Ireland and the cargo carrier is proficient in supporting the air logistics through its specialist solutions QR Pharma, for pharmaceuticals and QR Fresh, for perishables.
Customers are offered a seamless cool chain transfer for their temperature-sensitive products via the state-of-the-art and fully automated hub in Doha. Its facility at Hamad International Airport is wholly compliant with IATA Chapter 17 standards and Good Distribution Practice (GDP).
