In a press statement, Qatar Airways confirmed the resumption of its three (03) weekly flights to Helsinki, Finland starting today 29 July 2020, becoming the only Gulf carrier to serve four Nordic capitals. The resumption of Helsinki flights will see the national carrier of the State of Qatar operate 22 weekly flights to the Nordics, with daily flights to Oslo and Stockholm and five weekly flights to Copenhagen.
The airline’s mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant its network has never fallen below 30 destinations throughout this crisis and has enabled the airline 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 Nordics, reducing its environmental impact by offering the sensible and responsible capacity to meet both passenger and cargo demand.
According to Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, “We are glad to see Helsinki return to our network, a significant indicator of the recovery of the Nordic travel market. With a total of 22 weekly flights to the region, we are delighted to be the first Gulf carrier to offer flights to the four Nordic capitals of Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, and Stockholm. While the drop in air travel demand due to Covid-19 forced us to temporarily suspend services to Helsinki, we are proud to have never stopped flying to Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm. As we pass the worst of the crisis, we look forward to increasing our services to the Nordic region to support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”
During the pandemic, in addition to scheduled passenger services, Qatar Airways Cargo has also operated a large number of scheduled freighters, charters, and freight-only passenger aircraft to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and Helsinki to support Nordic exporters and transport essential medical supplies and PPE to the region. With the resumption of passenger flights to Helsinki, the airline will operate 39 weekly flights to the Nordic region, providing more than 1400 tons of weekly cargo capacity each way.
Qatar Airways continues to lead the recovery of international air travel. By the start of August, the airline’s network will expand to close to 500 weekly flights to over 75 destinations. Passengers from the Nordics can connect via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport to the largest and broadest network in the region with over 30 destinations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Qatar Airways operations are not dependent on any specific aircraft type. The airline’s variety of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant it can continue flying by offering the right capacity in each market. Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market. The airline’s fleet of 49 Airbus A350 and 30 Boeing 787 are the ideal choices for the most strategically important long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions.
Qatar Airways’ onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a “Do Not Disturb (DND)” indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including London, Paris, and Frankfurt. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.
To ensure travelers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has also extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. 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. For full terms and conditions visit qatarairways.com/RelyOnUs.