The Doha based Qatar Airways is bucking the trend of airlines cutting routes and axing destinations by adding news ones. Yesterday the gulf carrier launched flights to Cebu, which joins Brisbane and Toronto as new destinations launched by the airline during the current COVID-19 crisis
The Cebu service stared yesterday and will operate three times a week and brings a host of possibilities for travellers. You might not realise it, but Cebu is the second-largest city in the Philippines, which is important not only as an economic and trading hub along, but also as a major tourist destination. Famous for its white-sand beaches, those turquoise waterfalls, lush vegetation, fantastic sights, good food and world-renowned diving spots. Cebu joins Bali, the Maldives, Tunis and Zanzibar as some of the popular year-round holiday destinations, Qatar Airways has resumed services to in the past few weeks.
The carrier is also resuming flights to China, with a weekly rotation to Guangzhou scheduled to start tomorrow, July 26th.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to be launching a new direct service to Cebu, offering our passengers another gateway into the Philippines. Being the airline that has never stopped flying since COVID-19 hit, it has been Qatar Airways’ mission to take people home safely during the pandemic, and we have helped more than two million people get home to their loved ones since February.
“The resumption of Guangzhou passenger services is one of the significant steps taken by Qatar Airways to demonstrate our confidence in the gradual recovery of the regional travel market and global connectivity. Since the COVID-19 crisis started, we have challenged ourselves to be at the forefront and combat the effects of this global pandemic, by volunteering our services to deliver worldwide medical supplies coordinated by Chinese Embassies and Consulates. With over 40 onward available connections to Africa, Europe and the Middle East, passengers from Cebu and Guangzhou will be able to enjoy the Best Airline in the World and the World’s Best Business Class Seat while also having access to the largest and broadest network in the region via Hamad International Airport, the Best Airport in the Middle East.
“In addition to scheduled freighter services, we have also operated a large number of charters and freight-only passenger aircraft to meet China’s surging demand for imports and exports. With the resumption of passenger flights, we will have 49 flights in total, comprising of passenger freighters, belly-hold cargo flights and freighters in and out of Mainland China each week, providing more than 2,500 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity each way."
The return of the Cebu service, the carrier last operated a service there in March 2012, will see the carrier operate 13 flights a week to the Philippines. It joins Manila, with nine weekly flights and the weekly operation to Clark.
Qatar Airways variety of 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 choice for the most strategically important long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.
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