Marwan Koleilat (third right) and Maarten de Groof cutting a ceremonial ribbon upon arrival at Schiphol Airport.
Qatar Airways has commenced services to Amsterdam with the inaugural flight from Doha landing at Schiphol Airport on Tuesday. It was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute.
Amsterdam is the airline’s first destination in the Netherlands and 34th in Europe.
Passengers who arrived on the inaugural flight were welcomed by hostesses in traditional Dutch dress and presented with wooden tulips as part of the celebrations. Departing passengers and guests also enjoyed the celebrations with light entertainment at the gate prior to embarking on the return flight to Doha.
Qatar Airways chief commercial officer Marwan Koleilat, who led a delegation to celebrate the inaugural flight and was welcomed by Maarten de Groof, chief commercial officer of the Schiphol Group, said: “Qatar Airways is proud to celebrate our much-anticipated arrival into the beautiful city of Amsterdam, and we thank Schiphol for such a grand and colourful welcome.
“Commencement of services to the Netherlands is the realisation of a long-held ambition for Qatar Airways. With this new service, passengers will experience the world’s best business and economy class service on board our B787 Dreamliner, as well as convenient connections via our Doha hub at Hamad International Airport (HIA) to our global network of more than 140 destinations.”
Qatar Airways will operate six flights per week between Amsterdam and Doha with the Boeing 787, which offers 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy. This new service allows passengers to “benefit from convenient connections at HIA while experiencing the finest service in the sky”, according to a statement.
Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner offers business class passengers 80-inch fully flat beds, 17-inch television screens, the airline’s “five-star food and beverage service – which is served 'dine on demand' – and a beautifully designed cabin, which minimises traveller fatigue”. Similarly, economy class passengers can relax and “enjoy the more than 2,000 entertainment options on the 10.6-inch in-flight TV entertainment system and relax in the spacious cabin”, the statement adds.
The flights between Doha and Amsterdam operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. QR 275 departs Doha at 8.25am and arrives in Amsterdam at 2pm, while QR 276 leaves Amsterdam at 4.10pm and arrives in Doha at 11.15pm.