Qatar Airways continues to maintain its position as the leading international carrier providing global connectivity to the UK with the resumption of daily flights to London Gatwick starting August 20, 2020.

The flights will be operated by the airline’s modern fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner offering 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.

The resumption of London Gatwick services will see the airline’s UK operations expand to 45 weekly flights to four gateways in the UK with the following weekly operations:

- Edinburgh (three weekly flights)

- London Gatwick (daily flights)

- London Heathrow (three daily flights)

- Manchester (two daily flights)

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are very pleased to resume flights to London Gatwick, further cementing our position as the leading international carrier providing connectivity to the UK. UK passengers can connect seamlessly and safely via the Best Airport in the Middle East to more than 40 destinations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and South Asia.

“The UK is a very important strategic market for Qatar Airways, and we are proud of our repatriation efforts to-date including never stopping services between the UK and Doha that have helped bring over 200,000 passengers home. The resumption of London Gatwick services is a significant indicator of the resilience of the UK travel market, and we look forward to resuming more of our UK destinations to support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

Gatwick Airport CEO, Mr. Stewart Wingate, said: “We are delighted to welcome Qatar Airways back to Gatwick after what has been a challenging time for the whole industry. To be able to offer Gatwick passengers the opportunity to fly to Doha– a fantastic city in its own right and a gateway to destinations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand – is another positive step in the recovery process.

“Alongside our airlines, Gatwick has implemented a number of extra measures to keep both passengers and staff as safe as possible traveling through Gatwick, which is helping to rebuild public confidence in air travel.”

Qatar Airways Cargo currently operates eight freighters per week to London Heathrow and London Stansted in the UK. During the pandemic, the cargo carrier operated many charters and freight-only passenger aircraft to the UK to support British exporters and transport essential medical supplies and PPE to the region. With the resumption of passenger flights to London Gatwick, Qatar Airways Cargo will operate 74 weekly flights to the United Kingdom, providing more than 1,400 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity each way.

The airline’s mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant its network has never fallen below 30 destinations throughout this crisis. With one of the youngest long-haul fleets, the airline has been able to adapt its plans and quickly resume routes to rebuild its global network. By optimizing its mix of aircraft and grounding its A380 fleet, the airline continues to fly only the right-sized aircraft on all routes to the UK, reducing its environmental impact by offering the sensible and responsible capacity to meet both passenger and cargo demand.

With a growing network, Qatar Airways now offers over 500 weekly flights to over 80 destinations worldwide from its home and hub, Hamad International Airport – the Best Airport in the Middle East and Third Best Airport in the World according to Skytrax. It is operating regular flights to key gateways in Canada, Europe, South East Asia and the US.

On August 12, the airline resumed its services to Houston and Philadelphia, adding to its regular flights to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.

On August 14, the airline resumed its services to Lisbon.

Qatar Airways recently announced significant updates to its mobile app that allows passengers to plan their travel with greater ease, helping minimize physical contact and interactions throughout their journey. Members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club will earn 1,000 Qmiles when they download the mobile app.

To ensure travelers can plan their travel with peace of mind in the current climate, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline allows unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original one. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before 31 December 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to 31 December 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.

Additionally, Qatar Airways has robust onboard safety measures in place for passengers and cabin crew. The airline has introduced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew which includes gloves, face masks, safety glasses, and a new protective gown that is fitted over their uniforms. A modified service that reduces interactions between passengers and the crew inflight has also been introduced. Onboard, all Qatar Airways passengers are now provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, they will find a single-use surgical face mask, large disposable powder-free gloves, and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel. The airline has also introduced disposable face shields for adults and children. 

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Source & Cover Image Credit: Qatar Airways/ Twitter