Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – Qatar Airways, the airline of the government of Qatar, wants to establish a direct flight from São Paulo to Doha. The company is going to officially inaugurate an office in the city of São Paulo at the beginning of June. According to the Qatar Airways general director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ian Gillespie, there is not yet a date defined for the beginning of the flight, but the intention is for it to go into operation within the next 18 months. Gillespie, a Briton who lives in Brazil, started working for the Qatari company at the end of last year and was nominated director for the region in the first half of this year.
The opening of the office and nomination of Gillespie are part of a greater company action plan for Latin America. Before inaugurating the direct flight, Qatar Airways intends to establish a code share agreement with a Brazilian airline, probably Varig. The Brazilian company will take the passengers to Europe, in a non-stop flight, and Qatar Airways will transport them from Europe to Doha, the capital of the Arab country, also non-stop. This should take place within the next two months, according to Gillespie.
There are still no direct flights between Brazil and the Arab capitals. Qatar Airways, with this initiative, intends to be an option not only for those who want to travel to Doha, but also to Latin Americans interested in visiting other Arab and Asian countries, like China, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. "These are all economies with which Brazil is negotiating," stated Gillespie. According to the director, Qatar is very well located between Latin America and the East.
Latin America – Brazil
Brazil was chosen as an operation base for Latin America due to a series of advantages, according to the director. "There are many business opportunities being developed, and it is the country in the region that has the greatest trade with the Arabs, the country has a great colony of Arabs and their descendents who still have ties with their countries of origin, and the country also has the greatest number of travellers in Latin America," he said.
Gillespie believes that the opportunities there are for Latin America businessmen in the Arab world, like those in the civil construction and energy sectors, should help guarantee demand for trips to the region. The Qatar Airways intention is to start offering round trip tickets for US$ 1,300 within the next two months, at the release of the code share flight with a Brazilian company. The company from Qatar also counts on a mileage program that will be offered to passengers.
Qatar Airways is an airline whose capital is half in the hands of the Qatari government and half in the hands of private investors. The company offers flights to 67 destinations and is in rapid expansion. At the beginning of last year new routes were opened to New Delhi, in India, Athens, in Greece, Alexandria, in Egypt, Mashad, in Iran, Tunis, in Tunisia, Algiers, in Algeria, and Osaka, Japan. At the end of last year, flights were inaugurated to Nairobi, Kenya, Madrid, Spain and Berlin, Germany.
The company operates in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the Indian Ocean and Asia. Partner companies around the world are Lufthansa, Malaysian, Alitalia, Garuda Indonesia, Thai Airways, All Nipon Airways, Phillippine Airlines, Biman Bangladesh, Middle East Airlines, Yemenia, British Midland and SNCF French Railways.
Qatar Airways currently has 42 aircraft, all Airbus, and orders for another 30, also Airbus. The current aeroplanes are 12 Airbus A330-200s, 11 Airbus A320-200s, nine Airbus A300-600s, four Airbus A330-300s, two Airbus Long Range A319LR, two Airbus A321-200s, one Airbus A319CJ and one A300-600 Cargo Freighter. Qatar Airways has 3,400 employees and its subsidiaries another 3,150.
Qatar Airways – Latin America
Telephone: (+55 11) 3069 9595
E-mail: igillespie@br.qatarairways.com
*Translated by Mark Ament
