Qatar Airways To Launch Three New US Routes In 2016

Qatar Airways has announced the launch of three new passenger routes to the US, including to Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta from 2016, even as the subsidy row between American and GCC carriers continues.

The airline will commence daily non-stop flights to Los Angeles from January 1, 2016 and the route will be operated by its Boeing 777 aircraft, it said in a statement.

It will launch daily flights to Boston from March 16, 2016, and will deploy its new A350 XWB on the route.

Atlanta will be Qatar Airways’ third new route to the US with daily flights starting on July 1, 2016. The route will also be operated with the airline’s Boeing 777 aircraft.

The carrier also confirmed that it would add a second daily service to New York from March 1, 2016, thanks to increased passenger demand on the route, which was first launched in 2007. The second daily service to New York’s JFK will be operated by the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, complementing the B777 which currently flies the route.

Once the new routes are operational, Qatar Airways will expand its services to 10 destinations in the US, the statement said.

The move comes even as American and GCC carriers remain embroiled in a public spat regarding a row about subsidies.

A report released in February by three American carriers – Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines claimed that Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways received almost $42 billion in government subsidies over the last eight years, and called for an end to the US’ Open Skies agreement.

In March, the US government said it would study the claims and respond.

However, the GCC carriers have vehemently rejected the claims, calling them baseless. They also say that US airlines are losing marketshare because of inferior services.