Birmingham gets new flight to Middle East
Qatar Airways will launch a new service between Birmingham and Doha next March, adding to its existing services from London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh.
It will offer eight flights a week, including two on Saturdays, with connections in Doha to onward destinations from March 30.
The carrier said the announcement of the new route further strengthened its commitment to the UK regions, with Birmingham being the centre for the largest concentration of businesses outside of London, boasting 34,285 companies including over 700 international firms.
"Residents of Birmingham and the surrounding areas will be able to enjoy greater choice and convenience when travelling without the need to transfer through London’s busy airports," it said.
The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which has a two-cabin configuration, comprising of 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats.
Qatar Airways group chief executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: "We are delighted to announce Birmingham as Qatar Airways’ fourth destination in the United Kingdom from March 2016.
"This additional route strengthens Qatar Airways’ commitment to the regions across the UK and will create new commercial and leisure links between the city of Birmingham and the 152 destinations served by the airline."
Qatar offers onward connections from Doha to Asia and Australia, including new flights to Sydney and Adelaide starting in March and May next year respectively. Travel to Birmingham to Bangkok takes 15 hours and 30 minutes, including a 2-hour transit at Hamad International Airport.
Qatar Airways UK and Ireland Country Manager, Richard Oliver, said: "The addition of Birmingham to the Qatar Airways network marks an important milestone in our commitment to the UK market.
"Following our recent increase in services to both Edinburgh and Manchester, Qatar Airways will operate a total of 71 flights a week between the United Kingdom and Qatar from March 2016."
Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe added: "This is fantastic news for both Birmingham Airport and the region, and is our tenth new airline to announce or launch this year."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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