Qatar Airways lands in Adelaide

Airbus A350 XWB

Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to South Australia – using the world’s most modern aircraft – has landed at Adelaide Airport.

The much-anticipated direct service from Doha to Adelaide marked the start of the airline’s daily flights to Adelaide, which are estimated to generate an extra $41 million into South Australia’s visitor economy and create 228 jobs across the state.

It was also be the first time the Airbus A350-900 has ever landed in Australia.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, led a delegation from Qatar on the inaugural flight.

Adelaide is the fourth Australian city – along with Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth – to be served by Qatar Airways, which was named Airline of the Year by UK-based airline consultants Skytrax for the third time in 2015.

The daily flight scheduled is:

• DOH-ADL QR 914 departs 2055; arrives 1625 (+1 day)
• ADL-DOH QR 915 departs 2130; arrives 0450 (+1 day)

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said "I’m delighted to welcome Qatar Airways to Adelaide. The new daily direct service is a great opportunity for South Australia to further strengthen our growing international reputation as a must-see tourism destination.

Not only will the Qatar Airways flights bring tourists to South Australia, but the return flights present the chance to fill the A350-900’s cargo holds with as much as 80 tonnes of premium South Australian produce.

Recent figures show international visitors to our state are up by almost 10 per cent to the year ending December 2015, and they spent $897 million while they were here.

International visitors are critical to the state’s economy, and the State Government is committed to continuing to increase the number of international visitors to help us achieve our goal of an $8 billion tourism industry by 2020.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker said "Adelaide is an important addition to our route map, and we are pleased to offer the people of South Australia the most modern aircraft in the industry to connect them with 38 countries in Europe, 23 countries in Africa, and 27 destinations in the Middle East."

Adelaide Airport Managing Director Mark Young said "The inaugural arrival is excellent news for both the local tourism industry and South Australians travelling abroad.

The Qatar Airways Doha-Adelaide service opens up a brand new link with the Middle East, and provides excellent connections further afield such as with Europe and the UK.

We’re excited to be the first airport in Australia to welcome the new-generation Airbus A350-900 aircraft – one of the world’s most technologically advanced twin-engine aircraft.