EGYPT – Qatar Airways has resumed flights to Cairo with a daily service, touching down in the Egyptian capital for the first time since 2017 following the end of a regional crisis. The airline will operate daily flights to Cairo on a state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain agreed to heal the rift with Qatar at the Gulf Summit earlier this month, leading to the reopening of airspace and borders.
Qatar Airways passengers travelling from Egypt can now enjoy seamless connectivity to over 110 global destinations via its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport, the airline has said in a statement.
The national carrier of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 110 destinations with plans to increase to over 130 by the end of March.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ at the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.
The resumption of flights from Doha to Cairo will simplify travel for the large contingent of Egyptians living in Qatar.
Later this month, Qatar Airways will resume flights to Alexandria on Monday 25 January (QR1317 will depart from DOH at 15:15 and will land at HBE at 17:50).
Egypt and its Gulf allies cut ties with Qatar in 2017 over allegations it supports terrorism, which Doha denies. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have also announced the reopening of their airspace to Qatar.
Egypt had urged Qatar to cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, outlawed in Egypt and allied to former President Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted in 2013 by Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the army chief at the time and now the president himself.
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also at odds with Qatar and Turkey in Libya, where the governments back opposing sides in the civil war.
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