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Dave

Health insurance requirement for travel to Doha, Qatar

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All visitors to Qatar must obtain health insurance prior to arrival in the country.

The Ministry of Public Health in Qatar has published updated entry requirements for the country from February 2023 specifying that health insurance must be obtained covering the intended stay in the country.

The Ministry provides an exclusive list of insurance providers from whom health insurance may be purchased. The list is available from the Ministry website, here.

The standard insurance premium is 50 Qatari Rial per month, which is approximately £11.50.

Please note that the entry requirement may be enforced strictly, resulting in passengers arriving at Doha without proof of health insurance purchased from one of the listed providers being denied entry.

Full details of the Ministry’s scheme have been published on the MOPH website, here.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please do not hesitate to contact your Global Travel Management Account Manager.

Dave

Qatar Airways Unveils Platinum, Gold and Silver Lounges for Privilege Club Members and oneworld Partners

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Qatar Airways has unveiled Platinum, Gold and Silver lounges at its award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), inviting Privilege Club loyalty members and oneworld alliance card holders to access the dedicated lounge corresponding to their frequent flyer tier status when transiting through Doha.

The state-of-the-art lounge facilities, with stunning runway views, will provide a peaceful haven to Qatar Airways Platinum, Gold and Silver loyalty members, and oneworld Emerald and Sapphire card holders.

The brand new facilities will offer new spaces where passengers can rest, unwind and enjoy some of Qatar Airways’ renowned amenity products from Diptyque, and indulge in international cuisine and a wide beverage selection.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:

It is my pleasure to announce the opening of three premium frequent flyer programme lounges at Hamad International Airport.

Our latest Platinum, Gold and Silver lounges demonstrate the airline’s commitment to rewarding Privilege Club and oneworld alliance members with coveted benefits that befit the service quality Qatar Airways is synonymous for.

We look forward to welcoming passengers to experience our sophisticated, modern and spacious lounges when transiting through the World’s Best Airport.

Qatar Airways Platinum, Gold and Silver Lounges offer an ideal space for relaxation or socialising with family and friends.

Passengers can extend an invite to one guest using their plus-one complimentary access – eligible to Qatar Airways Platinum and Gold Privilege Club members, and oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.

Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South

Located on concourse A of HIA, Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South will be home to Qatar Airways Platinum loyalty members and oneworld Emerald card holders. The state-of-the-art lounge accommodates up to 140 passengers, and is equipped with a quiet area, a prayer room, a bar, a restaurant, and showers. Passengers are welcome to enjoy à la carte dining or buffet, and utilise the complimentary WiFi provided. 

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge South

Located on concourse A of HIA, Qatar Airways Gold Lounge South will be home to Qatar Airways Gold loyalty members and oneworld Sapphire card holders. The newly inaugurated lounge has the capacity to accommodate up to 85 passengers, and offers an array of services including family seating, a bar, a dining area, a full buffet dining experience, showers, and complimentary WiFi.

Qatar Airways Silver Lounge South

Located on concourse B of HIA, Qatar Airways Silver Lounge South will be home to Qatar Airways Silver loyalty members. First opened in March 2022, the lounge accommodates up to 195 passengers, offering meeting rooms, a family area, a quiet area, buffet dining and baggage storage facilities. 

Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.

In addition to the launching of the Gold, Silver and Platinum lounges, Qatar Airways will be increasing its Doha – Melbourne flights from the current once-daily schedule to double-daily flights from 1 October with the support of the Victorian Government. The airline and the Victorian Government signed a strategic agreement to increase connectivity to Melbourne to further boost trade and tourism.

Meanwhile, Berlin is set to benefit from enhanced connectivity to over 150 destinations, following the increase in Qatar Airlines services from daily flights to initially ten and further rising to eleven weekly flights from Berlin Brandenberg Airport.

And Qatar Airways have agreed to appear as the Official Jersey Sponsor of Paris Saint-Germain, starting from the 2022-2023 season.

Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, currently named the ‘Best Airport in the World” by Skytrax World Airport Awards 2022.

Dave

Qatar Airways to resume flights to London Gatwick

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Qatar Airways is to resume flights to London Gatwick Airport from 5 June, 2022.

The airline will operate a daily service from Gatwick to Doha using a state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.

The resumption of the London Gatwick service complements recently launched flights to Doha from Gatwick by Qatar Airways’ Joint Business partner British Airways, meaning the airlines can now jointly offer more options between London and Doha and beyond, earning Avios frequent flyer points as they go.

UK customers will now have access to four gateways including five-times daily services from London Heathrow, 18-times weekly from Manchester and four-times weekly from Edinburgh rising to daily from 2 June.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:

Our commitment to the UK market has been unwavering and we operated continuously and reliably throughout the pandemic, so I am pleased we can resume our popular service to London Gatwick. We offer excellent connectivity to and from the UK, providing travellers with more choice and convenience. This year is very special for us, not least as it is the 25th anniversary of the start of our flights to London Heathrow in March 1997.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021).

Flights from the UK

London Gatwick – Twice daily (one daily Qatar Airways’ flight, one daily British Airways’ flight)

London Heathrow – Five times daily

Manchester – 18 flights a week

Edinburgh – Four flights a week, rising to daily from 2 June, 2022

Dave

Steigenberger Hotel opens in Doha

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Deutsche Hospitality is continuing on its course of expansion in the Middle East.

The Steigenberger Hotel Doha now joins Deutsche Hospitality’s other hotels in the Middle East, located in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai.

On 10 November 2021, the new Steigenberger Hotel Doha welcomed guests to its 206 rooms spread over nine floors.

28 suites and a luxurious Royal Suite are also available to meet the highest standards of business travellers.

The Steigenberger Hotel Doha aims to set new standards in the Gulf State of Qatar. Highlights include five restaurants and bars, a GOCO Spa extending over 1,700 m², a gym located on the top floor and a roof terrace complete with swimming pool.

The Steigenberger Hotel Doha also boasts a comprehensive choice of conference and function rooms, thus making it the ideal venue for both business and private events.

Marcus Bernhardt, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality said

We are very proud of what we have achieved here and are looking forward to welcoming guests to the new Steigenberger Hotel Doha. The opening of this hotel in Qatar represents an important milestone in Deutsche Hospitality’s growing portfolio, particularly in the Middle East.

Sherief Abouelmagd, General Manager of the Steigenberger Hotel Doha, added:

The team at the Steigenberger Hotel Doha will be operating luxuriously equipped facilities. We will provide first-class personal experiences and extraordinary moments. Thanks to its central location on Airport Road, this hotel is superbly positioned for anyone wishing to visit Doha.

Dave

Uneven effect of Covid-19 shakes up the lists of busiest airports

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Airports Council International (ACI) World has published its preliminary world airport traffic rankings – covering passenger traffic and aircraft movements for 2020 – showing the dramatic impact of Covid-19 on what are ordinarily the world’s busiest airports.

Global passenger traffic at the world’s top 10 busiest airports decreased by 45.7% in 2020. Overall, passenger traffic at the world’s airports decreased by 64.6% which shows that the impact of the pandemic and the early stages of recovery in air travel has not been uniform around the world.

According to the preliminary data, Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport in China recorded the most passenger traffic in 2020, with Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the United States just behind.

Seven of the top 10 airports for passenger traffic are in China with three in the United States. In most cases, domestic air travel is beginning a modest rebound while international air travel remained depressed because of travel restrictions.

Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of ACI World said,

The impact of the COVID-19 on global passenger traffic pandemic brought aviation to a virtual standstill in 2020 and we continue to face threat. The data reveals the challenge airports continue to face and it remains imperative that the industry is supported through direct support and sensible policy decisions from governments to ensure that aviation can endure, rebuild connectivity, and fuel a global economic recovery.

The findings show that the impact remains uneven with different regions experiencing different challenges and requiring different policy decisions and support from governments to lay the foundation for recovery.

With some positive signs of recovery, especially in countries with high rates of vaccination, a sustained global recovery will only be realized with an escalation of vaccination campaigns, the continued development of digital health passes, and coordinated and cohesive policy support from governments.

Air cargo was less impacted by COVID 19, with volumes decreasing by only 8.9%, to an estimated 109 million metric tonnes in 2020, equivalent to 2016 levels (110 million metric tonnes).

For airports, revenues are tightly correlated to traffic levels but, like many other capital-intensive businesses, a large proportion of airport costs remain fixed and do not fall at the same level as traffic throughput and revenues during the crisis. Even with reduced operations, the closure of terminals and staff layoffs, this imbalance remains.

Airports in China occupied seven of the top ten positions in 2020. Atlanta slipped to second position, having seen a reduction in passenger traffic of 61.2%. Chengdu and Shenzen both moved up 21 places, Kunming 29, Xi’an 30 while Shanghai moved up 37 places.
Dubai retained its position as the world’s busiest international airport in 2020. Amsterdam and Heathrow swapped places. Istanbul and Doha both moved up eight positions in the table.
Qatar Airways logo
Paul

Qatar Airways – New Cardiff Service.

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Qatar Airways is to showcase its new Airbus A350-900 aircraft when it commences its new service between Cardiff & Doha next month.

The daily Cardiff-Doha route will, ordinarily, be served by a Boeing B787 Dreamliner, configured with 22 business class and 232 economy seats.

However, Qatar Airways has confirmed that its inaugural flight into the Welsh capital will feature the A350, “in recognition of the aircraft’s links to Wales” – the wings of the aircraft are built at Airbus’ factory in Broughton.

The flight schedules for the new Doha-Cardiff route are as follows:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

Departs Doha at 0725, arrives into Cardiff at 1250
Departs Cardiff at 1555, arrives into Doha at 0045 the following day

Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

Departs Doha at 0115, arrives into Cardiff at 0640
Departs Cardiff at 0810, arrives into Doha at 1700

Please note, that until mid-June Qatar Airways will be operating a reduced five times weekly service on the route.

Lastly, the airline is also set to relaunch flights to/from Gatwick airport next month, following a gap of seven years.