Wednesday 14 / May / 2025
Muscat: Football fans in Oman who want to travel to Qatar for next year’s FIFA World Cup will be able to book travel packages later this year, when they go on sale.
In an exclusive interview to Times of Oman, Ajay Jacob, the Qatar Airways Regional Manager for Oman, UAE, and the Caucasus, added that packages include official match tickets, return tickets with the airline, and accommodation.
Qatar Airways are an Official Partner and the Official Airline of FIFA. Further details on these packages will be shared closer to the end of the year.
During his interview, Jacob shed light on many operations concerning the airline, including their plans during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and new routes in the pipeline.
Having a long-standing relationship with Oman Air, Qatar Airways has recently strengthened it further by signing a new codeshare agreement. How is it going to impact both companies’ operations?
Qatar Airways has been flying to Oman since 2000, and the opening of our new office building in March 2019 marked a milestone in our longstanding relationship. Being present on the ground allows us to better understand the market and be closer to our Omani customers.
Qatar Airways operates daily flights from Muscat and a weekly flight from Salalah, and connects passengers from Oman to more than 160 destinations across six continents via Hamad International Airport.
We have also recently expanded our strategic cooperation with Oman Air, who have been trusted allies for a long time, and strategic partners since December 2020. A new codeshare agreement we concluded in the end of May 2021 will offer Oman Air passengers an opportunity to book their travel to more than 80 destinations with Qatar Airways, including new gateways such as Atlanta, Abuja and Bodrum. The expansion of the agreement will provide more convenient and seamless travel options for both airlines’ passengers.
Any plans of resuming flights to Sohar and Salalah?
We are currently operating 1 weekly flight from Salalah and daily flights from Muscat; we are also planning to increase frequency from Muscat and Salalah once the pandemic-related travel limitations are lifted.
After almost a year and a half of travel bans and the coronavirus still circulating across the globe, what are you doing to preserve travellers’ onboard safety?
Qatar Airways has become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by International air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. This follows Hamad International airport’s recent success as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating.
Qatar Airways is also proud to have achieved Diamond Standard in the Airline Passenger Experience Association’s (APEX) Health Safety Powered by SimpliFlying audit.
First in the world to operate the Honeywell’s Ultraviolet (UV) Cabin System, Qatar Airways further advanced its hygiene measures onboard. We are now using the most advanced, 2.0 version of this cutting-edge solution.
Qatar Airways further increased its health and safety measures onboard by introducing new personal protective equipment (PPE) for customers and cabin crew. Our aircrafts are regularly disinfected using cleaning products recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Its aircrafts feature the most advanced air filtration systems, equipped with industrial-size HEPA filters that remove 99.97% of viral and bacterial contaminants from re-circulated air, providing the most effective protection against infection.
The linen and blankets offered onboard continue to be washed, dried, and pressed at microbial lethal temperatures, while its headsets are rigorously sanitised after each flight. These items are then sealed into individual packaging by staff wearing hygienic disposable gloves.
Cabin crew have received training on how to minimise their chances of contracting or spreading the infection, are thermally screened before the departure of flights and after their arrival and are quarantined and tested if any colleagues or passengers on a flight show any symptoms of infection or test positive for the virus.
Countries in Europe are fully prepared to welcome leisure travellers from the GCC. How does Qatar Airways make sure its passengers can travel with confidence, given the rapid manner in which situations can rapidly change right now?
At the onset of the current global pandemic, Qatar Airways focused on being flexible and in bringing customer centric policies and procedures to all travellers. As more and more people relied on Qatar Airways for international travel than any other airline, we continued to ensure the safest and most reliable experience for our passengers and focused our efforts to resume flights to more destinations to help families get home, safely.
Furthermore, Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club has extended its valued members’ tier status in recognition that travel plans continue to be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic until December 31st, 2021.
Qatar Airways, in continuation with its Travel with Confidence policy, continues to offer all passengers unlimited date changes and free refunds for tickets issued before up to 31 August 2021 for travel completed by 31 May 2022.
For the student community, Qatar Airways has introduced the Students Club Programme powered by the airline’s loyalty programme, Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Members of the Student Club can enjoy benefits, such as special fares on flights, extra baggage allowances, the flexibility to change the dates of their flight and complimentary Super Wifi onboard.
Students in full- and part-time education aged between 18 and 30 years are eligible to join and can enroll in the programme at www.qatarairways.com/StudentClub
Qatar Airways has paid out over USD $2 billion in refunds to almost 600,000 passengers since March 2020, demonstrating its commitment to honouring its obligations to passengers who need to change their plans due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are now at the peak of summer travel season, and many GCC citizens and residents are looking to plan their summer escapes. Which holiday destinations are served by Qatar Airways?
Qatar Airways has marked a significant milestone in the rebound of international leisure travel with the resumption of four weekly flights to the famed holiday destination of Phuket, Thailand, starting 1 July.
In addition to its 12 weekly Bangkok flights, the airline will operate a total of 16 weekly flights to Thailand, providing seamless connectivity for its passengers travelling from Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.
Furthermore, the key holiday destination of Málaga returned to Qatar Airways’ route network as Spain began to ease travel restrictions for tourists. Málaga is a firm favourite with holidaymakers around the world, and fully vaccinated travellers will be able to visit once again whilst enjoying Qatar Airways’ award-winning hospitality and service.
In May, Qatar Airways also resumed regular flights between Doha and Mykonos, marking the beginning of a new travel bubble between Qatar and Greece where fully vaccinated holidaymakers no longer need to quarantine on arrival. Qatar Airways has maintained the route to the Greek capital city Athens throughout the pandemic and the daily service is currently operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft. The Mykonos route is serviced by an A320 aircraft with 12 lie-flat seats in business and 120 seats in economy.
Qatar Airways was launching new routes even during the pandemic. Which destinations have you recently launched, and how popular are they?
The global pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the aviation industry. Despite this, Qatar Airways never ceased operations and worked diligently to take people home safely and reliably throughout the crisis.
The airline has also added eight new destinations in the past 12 months, including San Francisco and Seattle in the U.S., Abuja, Accra, Abidjan and Luanda in Africa, and Brisbane and Cebu in Asia Pacific. Qatar Airways continues to strengthen its position as the leading international airline connecting Oman with United States, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The airline is proud to announce that it will expand its US services to more than 100 weekly flights across its 12 gateways.
Qatar Airways will operate double daily flights to four US gateways – Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. and increase flights to Dallas-Fort Worth to 12 flights per week. Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle all growing to a daily service from Doha.
These increased services are in addition to the carrier expanding flights to several of its key global leisure destinations, including Cape Town, Maldives, Phuket, Seychelles and Zanzibar, providing more flexible summer holiday travel options via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport.
How many flights is Qatar Airways currently operating, and when does the company plan to go back to the full service?
Qatar Airways continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations across the globe. With more frequencies being added to key destinations, Qatar Airways offers unrivalled connectivity to passengers, making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination as they need to.
Qatar Airways will operate over 1,200 weekly flights to more than 140 destinations by the peak of the IATA summer season as a leading global connector. Passengers can enjoy seamless connectivity via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport with the widest network of destinations. This will include 27 destinations in Africa, 14 in the Americas, 42 in Asia-Pacific, 41 in Europe and 23 in the Middle East, with multiple cities served daily or even more frequently. Qatar Airways has recently added Zambia and Zimbabwe to its list of destinations in Africa to start operating in early August, bringing its award-winning service to two important southern African destinations.
The new service to Lusaka and onwards to Harare is scheduled to be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. With these two new routes, the carrier will operate over 100 weekly flights in Africa.
