Qatar Airways (named “Best Airline for International Travel” twice by Business Traveler USA) recently announced that it has chosen Philadelphia International Airport as the 5th U.S. city that it will service.
Beginning in March of 2014, flights will be available from PHL to Doha (the capital of Qatar) via a Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline will become the 4th non-U.S. airline to serve PHL and Doha, in the South Arabian Gulf, will become PHL’s first destination in the area.
Rina Cutler, Deputy Mayor, Transportation and Utilities, says, “Qatar Airways has distinguished itself as one of the best airlines in the world, and we are very excited that it has chosen to serve Philadelphia International Airport. This is terrific news for our airport and our city…”
About Qatar Airways
Established in 1993, Qatar Airways is a fairly new airline. When it began, it was originally (and privately) owned by the royal family of Qatar, but was re-launched under new management in 1997. Qatar Airways didn’t make its first flight to the U.S. until 2007 when it began service to New York.
In 2009, the company achieved the first commercial passenger flight in the world to be powered by natural gas fuel. Today, it is headquartered in Doha, Qatar and services Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, the Far East, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania.
Qatar Airways has won the “Airline of the Year” award two consecutive times and the “Best Airline in the Middle East” award seven consecutive times.