Since 2011, Qatar Airways’ commitment to the Canadian market has strengthened international trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Hamad International Airport, the Best Airport in the Middle East, is the only hub in the region to offer service to both of Canada’s largest cities.
Qatar Airways marked a milestone in its history with Canada, celebrating 10 successful years since its inaugural flight between Doha and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL).
The airline’s journey in Canada began in June 2011 with three weekly flights to Montréal, later expanding to four weekly in December 2018 and then reaching a daily service in February 2021.
Qatar Airways never stopped flying to Montréal throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the airline continues to provide a lifeline for Canadians returning home from all over the world. After working closely with the Government of Canada and its embassies at the height of the global health emergency, Qatar Airways also temporarily operated three weekly services to Toronto in addition to multiple charter flights to Vancouver to help bring home more than 44,000 Canadian citizens and residents stranded abroad.
Since its inaugural flight in June 2011, Qatar Airways has flown more than 3,400 times between Doha and Montréal, enabling nearly 1 million business and leisure passengers to connect to popular destinations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and beyond. The Montréal service is currently operated by Qatar Airways’ state-of-the-art fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900 featuring 36 seats in the award-winning Qsuite Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class. Qatar Airways Cargo also offers more than 100 tonnes of cargo capacity each week in each direction on the Doha- Montréal -Doha route.
Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, said: “Canada has always been close to us at Qatar Airways. I remember the pride I felt when we first touched down in Montréal in 2011, and I knew then that this was just the beginning of a strong and enduring relationship with Canada. Over the years we have witnessed the benefits of our services to Canada that extend well beyond our mission of bringing people together. Our flights have enabled travellers from around the world to experience Canada’s iconic hospitality while supporting the export of Canadian products to overseas markets.
“Our commitment to Canada is steadfast and we are grateful for our unique partnership with the Government of Canada which has strengthened since 2011, most recently through our combined repatriation efforts to bring thousands of stranded Canadians safely home during the pandemic. All of us at Qatar Airways were particularly touched when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended his gratitude to the airline for supporting Canada during this unprecedented crisis. Today, we celebrate 10 years of true friendship in aviation.”
The Qatar Airways Group is also proud to employ over 150 Canadian nationals at its headquarters in Doha and across the network.
Like Canada, Qatar Airways recognises the importance of demonstrating environmental leadership to save our planet. The airline is constantly exploring sustainable approaches to aviation and its investments in the most fuel-efficient aircraft – including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 – underscore Qatar Airways’ commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Qatar Airways has reinforced its commitment to Canadian passengers and travel trade for the past 10 years. Lately, these efforts have also contributed to boosting Canada’s global connectivity to support the recovery of tourism and trade as the world emerges from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
 
 
Related Story