Qatar Airways to launch flights to Ukraine

Qatar Airways will launch direct flights to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, starting late next month, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday, quoting officials at the Qatari airline.

The airline will carry out seven weekly flights to Boryspil International Airport from the Qatari capital, Doha.

The move came as part of the company’s plans to expand its service into Eastern Europe, according to QNA.

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The new Kiev route will be served by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy Class. The aircraft will also offer individual seatback television screens.

The 2017 Airline of the Year confirmed that it plans to carry out direct flights to 25 new destinations during 2017 and 2018, including Australia’s Canberra, Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, US’ San Francisco and Chile’s Santiago. It will also launch new flights this summer to Macedonia, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The announcement comes a time when the Gulf state is dealing with the effects of a land, sea and air siege imposed by neighbouring states, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, who have severed ties with the small state after accusing it of supporting terrorism. Charges Qatar denies.