Qatar Airways (QR) today inaugurated the first of three weekly services to the Mozambique’s capital city of Maputo. Touching down in Maputo enroute from Doha and Johannesburg, QR584
arrived to a water salute and a welcome by traditional dancers followed
by an airport ceremony attended by more than 80 local dignitaries and
media.
Guests on the inaugural flight included Cristiano dos Santos, Mozambican Consul General to the UAE, responsible for Qatar; and Salem Abdullah Sultan Al-Jaber, the Qatari Ambassador to South Africa responsible for Mozambique.
The arrival ceremony at Maputo International Airport was attended by a number of distinguished guests, including Mozambique’s Minister of Transportation and Communication Mr. Paulo Zucula; CEO of Mozambique Airports Authority Mr. Manuel Veterano; and CEO of Mozambique Civil Aviation Mr. Afonso Sande Cuinhane.
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| Qatar Airways arrival ceremony in Maputo (Qatar Airways) |
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the latest route marked:
“With the discovery of large reserves of natural gas, Mozambique is today emerging to be one of the fastest growing economies in the region,” he said. “With this in mind, Qatar Airways always looks to open up air travel markets which are underserved – and Mozambique is an example of this. Mozambique has historic links with Europe, being a former Portuguese colony, so we look forward to flying passengers with family, or business ties to and from Lisbon through our online points in southern Europe. “Over the past 18 months, we have opened up a number of routes across Africa, including Entebbe in Uganda, Benghazi in Libya, Kigali in Rwanda and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, demonstrating our commitment to serving the African continent with an extensive route network,” added Al Baker.
Across Africa, the airline flies to 20 cities – Alexandria, Algiers, Benghazi, Cairo, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Luxor, Casablanca, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kilimanjaro, Kigali, Lagos, Maputo, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Seychelles, Tripoli and Tunis.