Qatar Airways announces that the airline will be resuming services to Venice, Italy starting from 15 July 2020. The popular tourist destination and major arts and cultural center will become the airline’s third destination in Italy to resume flights, marking a significant step in the resumption of global leisure travel.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar will also increase flights to Dublin, Milan and Rome, with daily services starting from 13 June 2020. As one of the only global airlines to have maintained a significant schedule throughout this crisis, Qatar Airways is uniquely positioned to monitor trends in traffic flow and passenger bookings. The airline expects the additional flights to provide further seamless connectivity via its award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport, with its Asia-Pacific destinations, in particular Australia where the airline continues to operate 21 weekly flights to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
We are excited to resume services to Venice, one of the most iconic and popular tourist destinations in the world. Throughout this crisis, our focus has been on helping to take people home and transporting medical aid and essential supplies to impacted regions. The resumption of services to Venice is a major milestone not just for our airline but also for the global tourism industry, indicating the start of the gradual return of international leisure travel. We look forward to supporting the many businesses in Venice that rely on international tourism and expanding these flights as demand grows.
His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive
Qatar Airways will operate three-weekly flights to Venice by its state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Seats in Economy class. The airline has further enhanced its onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline is implementing several changes, including the introduction of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits for cabin crew while onboard, as well as a modified service that reduces interactions between the passengers and the crew inflight. Cabin crew have already been wearing PPE during flights for a number of weeks, including gloves and face masks. Passengers will also be required to wear face coverings inflight, with the carrier recommending travellers bring their own for fit and comfort purposes.
To ensure travellers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before 31 December 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to 31 December 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar has built a strong level of trust with passengers, governments, trade and airports as a reliable partner during this crisis. With its plans for expanding its network and strengthening airline partnerships, the airline is well positioned to continue delivering on its mission to be the airline travellers can trust.