Qatar Airways has celebrated the arrival of its inaugural flight at Alexander the Great Airport, Skopje, on July 17 with a press conference and gala dinner.
The events were hosted by Qatar Airways chief commercial officer Ehab Amin, who welcomed VIP guests, including Macedonia’s Minister of Transport and Communications Goran Sugareski, TAV Macedonia general manager Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, Macedonian ambassador to Qatar Vukica Krtolica Popovska and Qatari ambassador to Macedonia Hassan bin Abdullah Zaid al-Mahmoud.The gala dinner invitees, including Macedonian and Qatari VIPs, and guests from the travel industry, enjoyed a line-up of entertainment and a headline performance by famous Macedonian singer Jana Burceska.
Amin said at the press conference: “I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the launch of Qatar Airways flights to Skopje, our new gateway into Eastern Europe from our hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha. Qatar Airways is proud to bring the five-star experience to the Macedonian capital, which is so rich in culture and history.”
Ersoy added: “Doha will be an exciting travel opportunity for Macedonian citizens, both in terms of leisure and business, and will also enable Macedonians who live in Australia and New Zealand to visit their motherland. We hope that the Republic of Macedonia, with its natural beauty and cultural-historical heritage, will be an interesting destination for Qatari tourists and business travellers. The presence of Qatar Airways in the Republic of Macedonia as a brand will make Skopje Airport even more attractive as a market, opening new possibilities for its development, while additionally contributing to further traffic growth.”
Qatar Airways has said it is expediting its expansion in Eastern Europe, with service to Prague, Czech Republic and Kiev, Ukraine set to commence by the end of August.
“The award-winning airline is committed to bringing more visitors to Eastern Europe by adding a further level of choice for passengers travelling to or from Croatia, Hungary, Azerbaijan and other Eastern European destinations,” it added in a statement.
In response to increasing demand, flights to Zagreb increased to a 10-weekly service last year, while Budapest and Baku both increased to a 12-weekly service in June 2017. Inbound tourism to Eastern Europe is expected to grow after the airline’s route launches of Serbia, Armenia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria in recent years.
The new route to Skopje will also provide the people of Macedonia with the opportunity to connect to more than 150 destinations on the airline’s global network via its hub, HIA.
Qatar Airways will operate the four-times-a-week service to Skopje with the Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy. Both Economy and Business Class passengers can enjoy the airline’s relaunched entertainment system, offering up to 3,000 entertainment options.
In addition, the commencement of air cargo service to Skopje by Qatar Airways Cargo will promote air trade growth in Macedonia by connecting the country with its major importers in Northeast Asia via the airline’s Doha hub.  
Qatar Airways this year celebrates 20 years of ‘Going Places Together’ with travellers across its more than 150 destinations business and leisure destinations.