São Paulo – Qatar’s flag carrier airline, Qatar Airways, will start operating nonstop flights from Rio de Janeiro to Doha by February next year, according to information disclosed by the Brazilian minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto, and senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who is the vice-chairman of the Brazilian Senate Regional Development and Tourism Committee. They accompany president Jair Bolsonaro on his appointments in Qatar this Wednesday (17).
The two recorded a video after meeting Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways and secretary-general of Qatar Tourism, the government body responsible for promoting tourism to the Arab country. According to Flávio and Neto, information about the nonstop flight was given to the two by Baker. The Brazilian minister of tourism informed the flight would be operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft. Qatar Airways currently operates nonstop flights to Brazil only between São Paulo and Doha.
“Qatar Airways did not stop flying to Brazil during the pandemic at any time, it now flies to São Paulo, and by February it will start – as he told me here, good news, first-hand news – to fly to Rio de January with a Boeing 777 plane,” said Neto. According to the minister, the news shows confidence and an upturn for tourism in Brazil. He also stated he was informed flights from Brazil to Qatar currently have occupancy above 65%. “It shows our country [is] in full recovery and connected to the world,” he said.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
