Qatar Airways launches flights to Gassim, Saudi Arabia

Qatar Airways has launched scheduled services to Gassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Doha-Gassim route becomes the carrier’s fifth gateway in the Kingdom, joining already established and popular routes of Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina and Dammam. With Gassim, the number of flights to Saudi Arabia rises from 61 to 65 frequencies each week.

The Doha-based airline will operate four-flights-a-week to the central Saudi city.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, said, “Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years and we at Qatar Airways are delighted to be part of this growth by launching additional capacity into this vibrant market. With increased government investment in the private sector and major infrastructure developments underway, we are very excited about our expansion here with the launch of our newest and first route of 2013 to the city of Gassim.”

As Saudi Arabia’s seventh most populated province with a rich cultural and historical heritage, Gassim is a city known for dates and its agricultural industry. Not only is it home to over six million palm trees making it the world’s biggest marketing outlet for the traditional Arabian fruit, but it is also stages the world’s largest date festival which, last year, showcased more than 200,000 tons of dates.

Gassim is located at the heart of the country, approximately 400 km northwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, which means the wider catchment area in and around the central city connects to almost every part of the Kingdom with a vast network of highways being an ideal destination to access rest of the country. Visitors can explore Gassim’s ample leisure offerings, which include stunning desert landscapes, ancient pilgrim and trade routes, as well as numerous festivals and sporting delights.

The Doha – Gassim route is being operated by Airbus A320 featuring 144 seats in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in First Class and 132 in Economy.

The aircraft offers seatback TV screens, providing passengers with the next generation interactive onboard entertainment system, featuring a choice of more than 800 audio and video on-demand options, together with an SMS text messaging service from each seat.