(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Airways, the global launch customer of the A350 XWB, has announced that Philadelphia will be the first destination it will fly to in the US using the state-of-the-art aircraft.
The Doha-based airline plans to begin operating an A350 on its daily service from Doha's Hamad International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport from January 1, 2016. The date will coincide with the launch of services to Los Angeles, one of three new Qatar Airways destinations in the US for 2016.
Flying a long-haul service to Philadelphia, which is a key business and leisure destination and one of the busiest airports in the US, will enable Qatar Airways to maximise the A350's efficiency and performance and give its US passengers the first opportunity to try the world's newest aircraft, according to a statement.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said: "We are very pleased to announce the launch of our first A350 service to the US. Philadelphia is the sixth largest metropolitan area in the US and an important international business hub that is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. With the launch of the new A350 service from January 1 next year, Qatar Airways will be further strengthening its position in Philadelphia and the US overall as an airline offering passengers a world-class travel experience."
Starting on March 1, 2016, and March 16, 2016, the A350 will fly on one daily flight to New York and also to Boston, which means three of Qatar Airways' US destinations will be served by the A350, the statement points out.
The introduction of the A350 on the daily flights between Doha and Philadelphia brings an additional capacity of more than 9% compared to the Boeing 777-200LR, which is being operated on the route. Qatar Airways' daily capacity to Philadelphia will grow from 259 seats on the B777-200LR to 283 seats on the A350.
Qatar Airways now operates 47 passenger flights a week between the US and Doha € daily from New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, and five flights a week from Miami. In addition, over the next few months, Qatar Airways' US network will grow further with new routes Los Angeles (January 1, 2016), Boston (March 16, 2016), Atlanta (July 1, 2016) and a second daily flight to New York from March 1, 2016.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.