LANGKAWI: Qatar Airways commenced its maiden flight to Langkawi, from the Hamad International Airport in Doha yesterday.
Flight QR 866 arrived at the Langkawi International Airport at 4.20pm with 80 passengers on board including Qatar Airways senior vice president Asia Pacific Marwan Koleilat.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir welcomed the arrival of the seven-hour flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Also present were Qatar airways group’s country manager for Malaysia and Brunei Datuk Muzammil Mohamad and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) CEO Dr Hezri Adnan
When met by reporters later, Mukhriz said the cooperation between the state government and Qatar Airways would open up opportunities for Langkawi to penetrate not only the West Asia market but also Europe.
“I see this as a great opportunity for us as Doha is not only a hub for West Asian flights but also passengers from Europe.
“... such a close relationship and cooperation can open up a vast space to tourists not only from Qatar and West Asia but also Europe,“ he said.
He said beginning today, Qatar Airways would start with four times weekly Langkawi services via Penang with an increase of up to five times weekly services from Oct 27. - Bernama
