Qatar Airways will start new direct five-times weekly belly flights to Gothenburg in Sweden starting 12 December – making it the airline’s second Swedish gateway after Stockholm.
Five weekly flights to Gothenburg will be served with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft and provide an uplift for major exports to trade markets in Africa, Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand via the carrier’s hub in Doha.
Qatar Airways Cargo currently offers more than 870 tonnes of cargo capacity each week out of its Nordic destinations Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Due to its proximity to Norway, Gothenburg will also serve as a gateway for Norwegian salmon exports to the airline’s global network.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of direct services to Gothenburg, our second gateway into Sweden. Gothenburg is a charming city with much to offer both business and leisure travellers.
“This new direct route demonstrates our commitment to expanding our presence in the Nordic countries, a highly important market for us, and to further connecting these destinations on our global network. We look forward to introducing travellers from around the world to this beautiful city.”
Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city, is set to grow by almost a third by the end of 2035. It is an important industrial and business centre, with the largest port in the Nordic countries.
Swedavia chief executive officer, Jonas Abrahamsson said: “Sweden is the largest economy in Scandinavia, and at the moment it is also the strongest in Europe. New direct routes are an important contributing factor, as they improve connectivity to markets that are crucial to the Swedish business community and attract capital and knowledge to the region.
“This direct route is the result of successful cooperation where we, together with the region, have shown Qatar Airways the potential in the western Swedish market. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that Swedavia and western Sweden jointly welcome this large Middle East airline to Gothenburg Landvetter Airport.”
Qatar Airways launched flights to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport in 2007. The Stockholm-Doha route, which operates 14 flights per week, is also operated by a widebody Dreamliner 787.
Qatar Airways currently serves the Scandinavian capital cities of Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland, to and from Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Alongside Helsinki’s current Boeing 787 service, the cities of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo are also served with a fleet of Dreamliner aircraft.
The carrier recently revealed a host of upcoming new global destinations, including the announcement that it will be the first Gulf carrier to begin direct service to Luxembourg. Other new destinations to be launched include Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia and Da Nang, Vietnam.
