Qatar Airways is ramping up efforts to increase its appeal to passengers across the Greater China region.
The carrier’s new six-times weekly B787-8 service from its hub in Doha, Qatar to Amsterdam launches on June 16. The new route is part of the carrier’s focus on the Greater China region, from where it now has 45 weekly flights to Doha and onwards to points as far afield as Africa, Europe and the US.
Speaking at an event in Hong Kong, Paul Johannes, Vice President North Asia for the airline, said onward traffic from China was increasing, and although established European destinations such as Paris and London were popular, so were destinations throughout Africa, as well as the US.
Qatar Airways has recently added Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta to its list – all slated for first flights in 2016, see online news May 2015 here – in addition to the cities it already serves: Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
In Greater China, Qatar flies from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai. As reported on Business Traveller (see here) one of Qatar’s first actions on joining the oneworld airline alliance was to create a joint business with Cathay Pacific on the Hong Kong to Doha route. Each airline flies daily on the route, both with a two-class (economy and business) A330-200 (Cathay has withdrawn premium economy from this route).
Speaking to Business Traveller, Chan Cheong Eu, country manager, Greater China South, said that the aim of the joint business was to allow passengers to fly on either the Cathay Pacific flight to Doha or the Qatar Airways flight and enjoy all the privileges of being part of either the Marco Polo programme or Qatar Airways loyalty programme Privilege Club including use of Cathay’s lounges at Hong Kong International Airport. (See tried and tested review here).
Connection times for the summer schedule are as follows:
* This flight is a codeshare flight and is operated by Qatar’s oneworld partner, Cathay Pacific
Tom Otley
| From | To | Flight | Departure | Arrival |
| Hong Kong | Doha | QR815 | 01:20 | 04:40 |
| Doha | Amsterdam | QR275 | 08:20 | 14:00 |
| Amsterdam | Doha | QR276 | 16:10 | 23:15 |
| Doha | Hong Kong | QR5801* | 00:55+1 | 14:40+1 |
