Today, September 8th, Qatar Airways announced that it will to operate flights to the capital of Angola up to five-times weekly. This comes as part of a series of new route announcements from the Middle Eastern airline. These flights to the city of Luanda will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It's still a few months away from reality as the airline announced the launch of its new service will start on March 29th, 2020. This Qatar Airways service using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will feature 22 seats in business and 232 seats in economy, according to the airline's press release. Qatar Airways passengers in business will enjoy fully lie-flat beds onboard as well as five-star ‘dine on demand’ food and beverage service. Qatar Airways has an extremely diverse fleet which include the Airbus A380, Boeing 777, and Airbus A350. It hopes to be one of the first to operate the Boeing 777x. Included in the press release were comments from Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, who said:
“We are excited to be announcing our new service to Luanda – the latest destination in our rapidly expanding African network connecting Luanda to key markets in the Far East, South East Asia and Europe. The new route to the coastal city of Luanda not only further solidifies the links between the State of Qatar and Angola, but will enable us to provide a seamless journey to and from this fascinating country and one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Qatar Airways is committed to growing our presence in Africa and adding to the 24 destinations in 17 countries we already offer”.

One of many new routes for Qatar

According to the press release, the airline also recently launched other destinations too. These new routes include:
  • Rabat, Morocco
  • Izmir, Turkey
  • Malta
  • Davao, Philippines
  • Lisbon, Portugal
  • and Mogadishu, Somalia.
Furthermore, the airline announced late last month that it will become the only non-African airline to fly to the country of Botswana this October. That service will be operated by the Airbus A350. Finally, the airline will also add Langkawi, Malaysia to its route network in October 2019.

Another connection for Angola

The coastal West African country is currently served by a number of major airlines. They include carriers such as:
  • Air France
  • KLM
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Emirates
  • Kenya Airways
  • Royal Air Maroc
  • South African Airways
  • and TAP Portugal
The airport for the nation's capital goes by the name of Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, which is the hub for Angola's flag carrier, TAAG Angola Airlines. TAAG is a state-owned airline and it operates an all-Boeing fleet which consists of 12 aircraft.

Conclusion

Qatar Airways flies to many fairly exotic destinations that you wouldn't really expect. Do you think this route will be profitable and last for a while? Or is there already enough competition with the other legacy carriers? Let us know your opinion by leaving a comment.