Qatar Airways CEO meets with Philadelphia's mayor

Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter and senior officials held a high-level meeting last week with Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, along with a high-level delegation from the airline, to discuss new trade, business and investment opportunities with Philadelphia.
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As the first new international carrier to launch a service to Philadelphia in more than 10 years, Qatar Airways, a member of the oneworld Alliance, began daily scheduled passenger flights between Philadelphia International Airport and Doha International Airport last week. 

During the courtesy visit to City Hall, Al Baker said that the airline planned to bring new opportunities to the city of Philadelphia by investing in the community and helping boost trade, tourism and business links between the State of Qatar and Philadelphia. 

"Qatar Airways is honoured to serve the city of Philadelphia both in the air and on the ground," commented Al Baker afterwards. “Mayor Nutter has taken great strides to make Philadelphia a truly global city and Qatar Airways is proud to offer an additional boost to the local economy, helping to generate new jobs and create a substantial economic impact.” 

Philadelphia is the airline’s fifth gateway in the United States and features a unique morning route, their earliest North American departure, which will allow American business and leisure travellers to access new connections, via Doha, to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. 

"Qatar Airways looks forward to creating a lasting bond between the cities of Philadelphia and Doha,” added Al Baker. “There is an immeasurable opportunity for cultural exchange between the people of these two great cities and we expect this new route will serve as a strong conduit for trade and commerce, via our award-winning World’s Best Business Class.” 

“We are pleased to bring the city of Philadelphia into our global community. Qatar Airways is in the business of bringing the world together, and thanks to the hard work of many here in Philadelphia, today we are that much closer to our goal. This launch has been a great success for both my country and my airline and we look forward to expanding our Five-star service throughout North America.” 

Mayor Nutter expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership between Qatar Airways and Philadelphia, along with the airline’s plans to bring new jobs income, and an estimated 27,000 new visitors a year to the city. He also pointed to the unique advantages of the Philadelphia-Doha route and highlighted Philadelphia International as the preferred hub for east coast travellers, as opposed to “others” he chose not to mention by name.

 

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways (left) with the Honourable Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter