DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways' first non-stop flight from Doha to Bodrum landed on Tuesday at Milas-Bodrum Airport, marking the airline's sixth gateway in Turkey and third new Turkish route in just nine months. Qatar Airways flight QR 317, operated by an Airbus A320, departed Hamad International Airport at 7:15 am and arrived at Milas-Bodrum Airport at 11:55 am, where it was welcomed by a traditional water canon salute.
The airline will further expand its services to Turkey with the launch of seasonal flights to Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday, just one day after the launch of direct flights to Bodrum.
Bodrum is set on the Bodrum Peninsula, which stretches from Turkey's southwest coast to the Aegean Sea. The picturesque resort city is famous for its many beaches, boutique hotels and seafood restaurants. Visitors can cruise around the peninsula, spot celebrities in stunning resorts or relax on beaches in nearby Gümbet. Sights in Bodrum not to miss include the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and ancient theatre, the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archeaology, Kara Ada and Bodrum Castle.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Today’s inaugural flight to Bodrum, our third new Turkish route in just nine months, demonstrates our commitment to Turkey. We have seen very high demand for services to Turkey, as both business and leisure travellers show great interest in experiencing all this country has to offer. We are tremendously excited to be able to provide passengers the opportunity to visit the beautiful resort city of Bodrum, just in time for the summer holiday season. Passengers from Bodrum now be able to travel seamlessly through our award-winning Doha Hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to any destination in our rapidly-expanding network.”
Qatar Airways’ twice-weekly flights to Milas-Bodrum Airport will be operated by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class. The seasonal service will be operated every Tuesday and Friday until 28 September 2018.
Qatar Airways now operates flights to six destinations in Turkey, with separate services to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport (twice a day) and Istanbul Ataturk Airport (10 times a week), Adana Airport (three times a week), Hatay Airport (three times a week) and daily flights to Ankara. The award-winning airline launched direct services to Adana in September 2017 and to Hatay in February 2018.
As well as enjoying the award-winning in-flight service on board, passengers travelling to Bodrum will also have access to Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system, offering the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more.
Qatar Airways currently holds the title of ‘Airline of The Year’ as awarded by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards. In addition to being voted Best Airline by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.
Qatar Airways connects Turkey to more than 150 destinations via its award-winning Hamad International Airport (HIA), and also offers seamless connecting flights from Fast East, Australia and the Middle East and beyond. The national carrier of the State of Qatar has a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.
Earlier this year, the airline revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations, in line with its expedited expansion plans, including Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Cebu and Davao, Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam and Málaga, Spain.
Flight Schedule: (12 June – 28 September)
Doha (DOH) to Bodrum (BJV) QR 317 departs 07:15 arrives 11:55 (Tue, Fri)
Bodrum (BJV) to Doha (DOH) QR 318 departs 12:55 arrives 17:20 (Tue, Fri)