(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
DOHA: Qatar Airways has launched a new service to its eighth destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with four flights a week to Abha.
Qatar Airways flight QR1212 which landed at Abha international Airport yesterday was welcomed with a traditional water salute. At airport ceremony Engineer Tariq Al-AbdulJabbar Assistant Vice President of Domestic Airports welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight to Abha.
"We have been steadily growing our presence and services to Saudi Arabia for the past 18 years" said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker.
"As our eighth destination in the Kingdom Abha will bring additional flexibility for passengers connecting from Asia the Middle East Europe and the Americas. From Abha our passengers will now be able to travel seamlessly through our state-of-the-art Doha hub Hamad International Airport to popular cities such as London Paris Bangkok Singapore New York and Washington. At the same time this will provide passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia from international markets the convenience of another gateway."
Qatar Airways began operations to the Kingdom in 1997 with non-stop flights to Jeddah. The airline has added Riyadh Dammam Madinah Gassim Ta’if and Al Hofuf to its portfolio of destinations all non-stop to and from Doha with connections to most of Qatar Airways’ destinations worldwide.
Qatar Airways currently operates 84 weekly flights to seven key cities in Saudi Arabia. The addition of Abha will increase the number of Qatar Airways’ weekly flights to Saudi Arabia to 88 non-stop flights.
The city of Abha is the capital of Asir a south-western province in the Kingdom rapidly gaining in popularity in the region as a tourist destination due to its attractions its mild seasonal weather and breath-taking mountains.