KILIMANJARO, Tanzania – Qatar Airways has further expanded operations in Africa with the recent launch of daily scheduled flights to Kilimanjaro – its 18th gateway on the diverse Continent and second destination in Tanzania. Operating via the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro takes Qatar Airways' global network up to 118 destinations and also marks yet another move by the Doha-based airline into underserved markets. Flight QR546 arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport to an impressive water salute performed by the local fire service on Wednesday. The arrival was followed by a colourful welcome by traditional Tanzanian dancers and an airport ceremony attended by over 80 people, including local dignitaries, airport officials, local and international media. The airline's African expansion will go a step further on October 31 with the launch of scheduled flights to Maputo in Mozambique, operating thrice-weekly from Doha via Johannesburg. The airline has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operation, currently operating a modern fleet of 110 aircraft to 118 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. Since the beginning of the year, Qatar Airways has launched flights to Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad, and most recently, Perth (Australia) with many more destinations planned during 2012. Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Yangon in Myanmar (October 3); Maputo in Mozambique (October 31) and a date yet-to-be-announced to the Serbian capital Belgrade. Qatar Airways now operates 49 flights each week across four East African countries. The Doha – Kilimanjaro route is operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker said Africa had been long under the radar of the company's planning team as the region was highly underserved with a lack of international services. — Agencies
