In celebration of its 15th anniversary in Australia, Qatar Airways provided passengers with some exciting giveaways at Melbourne Airport on Friday.
Qatar Airways commenced its Australian operations on 7 December 2009 with the Melbourne – Doha route. Since then, the airline has extended its network, operating to five key cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, with 42 weekly flights. During that time, Qatar Airways has flown over 9.7 million passengers in and out of Australia, while carrying over 440 million tonnes of cargo in and out of the country.
Over the years, Qatar Airways has been deeply committed to serving the Australian market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways helped repatriate more than 180,000 passengers in and out of Australia by maintaining daily services between Sydney, Melbourne and Doha. Most recently, Qatar Airways operated two repatriation flights to bring stranded Australians home from the conflict zone in Lebanon.
The airline has also been active in supporting the Australian community. Qatar Airways has been a key partner of the Sydney Swans for the past eight years, and has been supporting charities and sporting events such as the Good Friday Appeal, Formula One Australian Grand Prix, MotoGP and more. In 2025, Qatar Airways will also be the title partner of the British & Irish Lions Tour, which will arrive in the country in June next year.
The Melbourne Airport celebration saw Qatar Airways giving away Business Class flight upgrades to six lucky passengers, while sweet treats were handed out to all passengers to thank them for choosing the world’s best airline for their travel needs.
Melbourne Airport’s Head of Commercial and Airline Business Development, Michael Cullen, was in attendance along with senior members of the Qatar Airways team for the ‘cake-cutting ceremony’ ahead of the giveaway fanfare.
As part of the 15th anniversary celebration, and on top of exciting flight deals, Qatar Airways also launched a celebratory Business Class menu available onboard that features native Australian ingredients, including Queensland finger lime, South Australian bush tomato, New South Wales lemon myrtle to pay homage to Australian heritage & elevate in-flight dining experience.
Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer at Qatar Airways, said: “We’re proud to be marking 15 years of service in Australia and our celebration at Melbourne Airport was another way for us to thank our customers who have provided us with exceptional support since we arrived in the country.
“The reactions of passengers when gifted a flight upgrade or giveaway were terrific to see and further demonstrates why it’s so important for us to be able to deliver these special moments for our customers.”
Michael Cullen at Melbourne Airport, said: “Qatar Airways has been an excellent partner to us for the last 15 years – the surprise and delight giveaways last week certainly helped to create added excitement for passengers at our airport.”
Qatar Airways offers seamless travel from Australia to over 49 destinations across Europe and the United Kingdom, 29 destinations across Africa, 33 destinations across the Middle East, 13 destinations across North and South America, plus many more.
Qatar Airways achieved the ‘World’s Best Business Class’ for the eleventh time in 2024, in addition to being awarded ‘World’s Best Airline’ for a record-breaking eighth time in 2024. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence, taking home, ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge’, and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. Qatar Airways currently flies to over 170 destinations worldwide, via one seamless connection through Hamad International Airport, the ‘World’s Best Airport’, as voted by Skytrax in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
For more information on Qatar Airways, visit www.qatarairways.com.
