Qatar Airways seeks to 'continue to prosper' following 'another year of great achievement' in 2019

Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker described (31-Dec-2019) 2019 as "another year of great achievement". Mr Al Baker said: "Our growth over the last 12 months, in the face of adversity, has been impressive and going forward we will look to continue to prosper". The airline reported the following highlights for 2019:

• Launched new services to Davao, Gaborone, Izmir, Langkawi, Lisbon, Malta, Mogadishu and Rabat, increasing its network to more than 160 destinations;
• Increased frequency to destinations including Amman, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kuwait, Larnaca, Manchester, Miami, Milan, Penang and Vienna;
• Received 32 new aircraft, expanding its fleet to 259 passenger, cargo and executive aircraft;
• Converted an order for 10 A321neos to A321LRs;
• Signed new or extended codeshare agreements with China Southern Airlines, IndiGo, LATAM Airlines and SriLankan Airlines;
• Acquired a 5% shareholding in China Southern;
• Entered an agreement with Rwanda's Government to develop and operate a new international airport in Kigali;
• Introduced 'Qsuite' business class on Auckland, Bangkok, Boston, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dallas Fort Worth, Delhi, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Milan, Montreal and Tokyo Haneda services. [more - original PR]