Celebrating Qatar Airways’ inaugural departure flight from Salalah Airport to Doha are, from left: regional manager (Airport Services - GCC, Africa, Levant & Iran) Adnan al-Banna; Qatar Airways country manager (Oman & Yemen), Ali Abdul Khaliq Ibrahim; general manager, Salalah Airport, Salem Awad al-Yafaey; Deputy Governor of Dhofar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Saif al-Mahrooqi; and Qatar Airways senior vice president (GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq & the sub-continent) Fathi al-Shehab.
Qatar Airways has commenced services to Salalah, the airline’s second destination after Muscat in Oman.
Salalah becomes the Doha-based airline’s fifth new route of the year taking the carrier’s global reach to 127 destinations.
With the Omani capital Muscat already served 31 times-a-week and the new four-a-week services to Salalah, Qatar Airways now flies a total of 35 services to the Sultanate each week.
The latest destination also heralds the first of three new Middle East routes to be launched by the carrier over the next few weeks with two Iraqi cities joining the network.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar al-Baker said the launch of Salalah flights demonstrated the strengthening relationship between Qatar and Oman.
“We are extremely delighted to have added the highly popular leisure destination of Salalah to our international network and extend our award-winning service to the people of Salalah and the Dhofar region,” he said.
“As one of the most beautiful places in the Gulf, affectionately known as the Perfume Capital of Arabia, Salalah has tremendous appeal for visitors across the Gulf, Europe, the United States and many other countries, steeped in history, culture and natural beauty.”
Qatar Airways senior vice president (GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq & the Sub-Continent) Fathi al-Shehab hosted a gathering of guests and local media at Salalah Airport ahead of the airline’s first departure flight to Doha.
Chief guest at the event representing the government of Oman was the deputy governor of Dhofar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Saif al-Mahrooqi.