At the end of an extraordinary year, but which was also one of the most challenging in the history of aviation, Qatar Airways offers the retrospective of 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Repatriation of passengers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar's national airline remained focused on its fundamental mission to transport people home. The airline's network continued to number 33 destinations, and planes flew to key cities, including Amsterdam, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Montreal, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
As a result, according to IATA, Qatar Airways became the largest international carrier between April and July. Qatar Airways flights accounted for 17,8% of total passenger traffic in April.
During the pandemic, Qatar Airways carried more than 3.1 million passengers home and worked closely with governments and companies around the world to operate more than 470 charter and additional repatriation flights. The airline's efforts have provided a lifeline for certain industries, such as navigators, with Qatar Airways repatriating more than 150.000.
The repatriation of Qatar Airways forced the airline to fly to destinations outside its network, such as Antananarivo, Bogotá, Bridgetown, Havana, Juba, Laâyoune, Lomé, Maun, Ougadougou, Port-of-Spain and Port Moresby.
Creating a flexible fleet.
Qatar Airways has managed to continue to fly throughout the pandemic thanks to its diverse fleet of modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. The aircraft allowed the airline to carry out both passenger and cargo transports.
The Qatar Airways fleet, consisting of 52 x Airbus A350 and 30 x Boeing 787, is the ideal choice for the most important long-distance transport routes to Africa, America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.
In the last months of 2020, Qatar Airways received 4 x Airbus A350-1000, reaffirming its position of the largest aircraft operator Airbus A350 with an average age of 2.7 years. All 4 aircraft are equipped with the new Business Class offered by Qatar, Qsuite.
New safety measures.
As the largest airline to fly consistently throughout the pandemic, Qatar Airways has gained unparalleled experience on how to transport passengers safely and reliably in these uncertain times.
Qatar Airways has strictly implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures, including the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a disposable protection kit and masks for passengers.
In addition, among other improved hygiene measures, Qatar Airways was the first international carrier to implement the Honeywell ultraviolet (UV) cabin system operated by Qatar Aviation Services, further advancing its on-board hygiene measures.
Supporting the recovery of global aviation.
In May, the Qatar Airways network fell to 33 destinations during the peak of the pandemic and travel restrictions around the world. Since then, the airline has gradually rebuilt its network in line with global travel demand to reach 110 by the end of 2020.
Qatar Airways continued to expand its network and added 7 new destinations: Abuja (Nigeria), Accra (Ghana), Brisbane (Australia), Cebu (Philippines), Luanda (Angola), San Francisco and Seattle (USA).
To ensure passengers have the confidence to book passengers in a less favorable climate, Qatar Airways has offered some of the most flexible booking policies on the market, offering a range of options, including 2-year ticket validity, unlimited date changes , exchange of tickets for a future high-value travel voucher and unlimited destination changes.
Qatar Airways has also pledged to honor passenger reimbursements by paying more than $ 1,65 billion. The airline recently announced that it will offer passengers unlimited data changes and free refunds for all tickets issued by Qatar Airways until April 30, 2021 for scheduled trips until December 31, 2021.
Qatar Airways has entered into strategic alliances around the globe and agreed on several new partnerships in 2020, including with American Airlines, Air Canada and Alaska Airlines.
Continuous improvement of customer service.
Despite the economic impact of COVID-19 on the aerospace industry, Qatar Airways has continued to invest in its products and services to ensure that its customer experience remains the best in the world. In August, they announced major updates and new features mobile application, and in September they celebrated the 100th aircraft in the fleet that is equipped with "Super Wi-Fi".
On board, the airline continued to offer a complete dining experience, comfort facilities and award-winning services with improved safety measures. In Business Class, the airline's Dine-on-Demand service is now presented completely covered on a tray with the chosen selection of drinks.
In Economy class, the full culinary experience of Qatar Airways “Quisine” is available, with food and cutlery served sealed, as usual, on a tray. In October, Qatar Airways introduced its first vegan range of gourmet dishes for premium customers.
Qatar Airways has enhanced the dining concept at the Al Mourjan Lounge at Hamad International Airport (HIA) by including a superior à la carte menu featuring freshly prepared sushi, a self-service cold buffet and a fully assisted hot buffet.
He also created the Mariner Lounge - a space dedicated to sailors to relax comfortably while in transit - in recognition of their vital role in keeping the global economy moving.
Durability
While Qatar Airways has remained focused on its core mission of transporting people home and providing essential assistance to the affected regions, the airline has not forgotten its environmental responsibilities. The airline detained the Airbus A380 fleet on the ground because it is not justified to operate such a large aircraft equipped with 4 engines.
Qatar Airways has also launched a new program that allows passengers to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey when booking a ticket. The airline, together with members of the oneworld alliance, is committed to completely eliminating carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.