The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Kyiv touched down on 28 August at Boryspil International Airport, marking the launch of direct daily flights between Doha and the Ukrainian capital. The new route by the World’s Best Airline will be served with an Airbus A320 aircraft.
Travelling on the inaugural Qatar Airways flight to Kyiv was Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Ehab Amin, who was welcomed with a traditional airport arrival ceremony hosted by Chief Executive Officer of Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, Mr Pavlo Riabikin, and attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to Ukraine, His Excellency Mr Jassim bin Rashid Al Khalifa. Mr Ehab Amin gave a press conference and dinner with media and key trade partners, highlighting the airline’s expansion plans.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to launch direct service to Kyiv, a much-anticipated addition to our global network. This new route will connect businesses in Kyiv and across Ukraine to new business partners from around the globe, while also appealing to leisure travellers, offering them the opportunity to experience this charming city. Kyiv is just one of several new European destinations launched by Qatar Airways this summer, including Prague and Skopje, opening new gateways across Eastern Europe and linking these cities to our extensive global network of more than 150 destinations.”
Chief Executive Officer of Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, Mr Pavlo Riabikin, said: “We are pleased to welcome the Qatar Airways inaugural flight here to Boryspil. We hope that this will mark the beginning of a long-term mutually beneficial partnership. Developing cooperation with the best airline companies in the world is a matter of fundamental importance for us. Yesterday’s arrival heralds a further step in qualitative development of the main airport of Ukraine.”
Kyiv, one of Eastern Europe’s undiscovered cultural jewels, is filled with striking architecture and many art galleries and museums. The city is both historic and modern at the same time, and is quickly becoming a popular must-visit destination for travellers from around the globe.
Passengers from Kyiv will not only be able to take advantage of smooth and efficient transfers through the airline’s home and hub, Hamad International Airport, to more than 150 global destinations, but also take the opportunity to visit the State of Qatar itself.
Emerging as an increasingly popular leisure destination, it is now even easier for Ukrainians to visit the cosmopolitan Middle Eastern country where a new visa waiver scheme means they can obtain a 30-day visa on arrival.
The new daily flights to Kyiv will provide over 10 tonnes of belly capacity each week, supporting the growing food product, pharmaceutical and civil aircraft industries in Ukraine. Through the airline’s expanding cargo network, Qatar Airways Cargo connects Ukraine to its trade partners in Middle East and Asia via an easy transit at cargo carrier’s Doha hub. The belly service is also complemented with a local trucking network to and from Kyiv airport.