Qatar Airways eyes Chicago flights in 2013

Qatar Airways on Tuesday announced an expansion of its USA route network with the introduction of daily passenger flights to Chicago from April 10 next year.

The non-stop service from Doha will be the carrier’s fourth USA gateway, following daily operations to New York, Washington and Houston.

The carrier, which already operates twice-weekly cargo flights to Chicago O’Hare, will use its flagship long-haul Boeing 777-300 Extended Range passenger aircraft on the Doha–Chicago route with an approximate flying time of 15 hours.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “As Qatar Airways continues its aggressive expansion, we are pleased to finally offer another gateway in the United States, this time to the ‘The Windy City’ of Chicago, five years after we began operations to North America.

“Chicago is a key route for business and leisure travellers alike, connecting them from destinations across India, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific with a one-stop service via Doha to the Midwest."

Chicago has a population of nearly three million people, attracting millions of tourists and business travellers every year.

Qatar Airways currently flies a fleet of 110 aircraft to 118 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch services to Yangon, Myanmar (October 3); Maputo, Mozambique (October 31); and a date yet-to-be-announced to the Serbian capital Belgrade.