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QATAR AIRWAYS TO BUILD HOUSING FOR SRI LANKAN
VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI DISASTER Airline Staff Raise Funds To Rebuild Homes
In Fishing Village Qatar Airways is spearheading a rebuilding
project of housing in a fishing village devastated
by last year's tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka. Staff at the Doha-based airline, which employs
more than 400 Sri Lankan nationals, initiated a
fund-raising drive towards the reconstruction of 25
homes in a village affected by the tsunami. Qatar Airways has worked closely with Habitat
International &endash; a non-government
organization that assists in building houses for
the homeless &endash; to identify one affected site
and help the local community get back on its
feet. The fishing village of Jambuwatte in Balapitiya,
80km south of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, was
chosen as the adopted site by Qatar Airways and
work began in early August on rebuilding houses,
which were flooded, destroyed or swept away when
tragedy struck on 26 December 2004. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al
Baker said he was deeply touched as the events
unfolded across the Indian Ocean when the tsunami
devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of
people across the region last year. "Many of our Sri Lankan staff have friends and
families affected by last December's disaster. I am
extremely grateful to the employees here at Qatar
Airways to have initiated this fund-raising effort
which the airline has fully supported." Added Al Baker: "By rebuilding homes damaged or
destroyed by the tsunami, we are helping a
community get back on its feet. It is extremely
important that we fulfill our obligation and social
responsibility to help in whatever little way we
can. "Tourism is one of Sri Lanka's largest
industries which we help support by flying in
holidaymakers and friends and families to the
country. "Sri Lanka was our first international
destination served outside the Middle East when
the airline began operations in its former guise in
1993. We carry a lot of passengers to and from Sri
Lanka which has developed into a vitally important
market for us." A sample of testimonials from Qatar Airways
employees who donated to the appeal: Kathryn Brass, Cabin Crew, Qatar Airways "I have been fortunate to travel around the
world with Qatar Airways and meet people from so
many diverse cultures. The tsunami affected so many
people. They lost everything they had &endash;
families, homes and livelihoods &endash; and it was
only right that we could do something to give them
a future to look forward to." Menik Amaratunga, Manager Human Resources, Qatar
Airways "I was in Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit and
was taken aback by the level of destruction and
death caused. I am indebted to Qatar Airways and,
in particular, our CEO Mr Akbar Al Baker, for
supporting the rebuilding of the fishing village
of Jambuwatte and hope to bring back smiles to
some of those affected." Award-winning Qatar Airways is one of the
fastest-growing airlines operating one of the
youngest fleets in the world to 66 destinations in
Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian sub-continent
and Asia. The airline, based in Doha, capital of
the State of Qatar, operates a fleet of 40 modern
all-Airbus aircraft. The airline is one of only
three in the world to be awarded a Five Star
ranking by Skytrax &endash; the independent
aviation industry monitoring agency &endash; for
high service standards and quality. For more information, visit
www.qatarairways.com. Qatar Airways maintains an
office in Toronto, Canada, which can be contacted
at: Tel. (416) 290-0999 / toll free 1-888-366-5666,
or by email at
help@qatarairways.ca. QATAR
AIRWAYS ON A QUEST TO EXPAND TORONTO:
Award-winning Qatar Airways is set to expand even
further with the news that it has signed on with
CNN International to sponsor a new feature program,
'Quest'. This new media exposure is just one of
many steps Qatar Airways intends to take in order
to establish themselves as a key global player in
the airline industry. QATAR
AIRWAYS: ON A 'QUEST' FOR GREATNESS Qatar
Airways and CNN International have announced
collaboration as part of an integrated
communications solution developed by the
international news broadcaster. 'Quest',
a new monthly half-hour feature program is being
sponsored by Doha-based Qatar Airways, and is set
to become a key part of CNN's programming
schedule. This new monthly series puts CNN's
Richard Quest in front of some of the world's
greatest and most influential figures in their
field as he goes in search of the excellence that
drives the world of business and
beyond. The
partnership with Qatar Airways includes sponsorship
of the monthly programme on CNN and the dedicated
web site on CNN.com international edition,
www.cnn.com/quest, online advertising across the
international website and a series of 60 second
vignettes to run alongside Qatar Airways'
advertising spots. Qatar
Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker
said: "We are extremely delighted to sponsor this
exciting new CNN show fronted by one of CNN's
leading journalists who has become a household name
with his own unique personality. QATAR
UNVEILS GROWTH STRATEGY IN SINGAPORE Akbar
Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airlines, recently presented
his vision of the airline as a force to be reckoned
with over the next few years, during a media
briefing held in Singapore. Celebrating the launch
of daily non-stop flights to the island state using
the Airbus A330 aircraft, Al Baker hosted leading
Singapore media figures over lunch at the city's
Four Seasons Hotel. Al
Baker spoke of Qatar Airways' meteoric growth since
its relaunch in 1997 to become one of the fastest
growing airlines in the world, discussing the
company's vision to become a key player in global
aviation. Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 40
all-Airbus aircraft, and has announced plans at the
Paris Air Show to acquire up to 80 planes,
comprising 60 of the new generation A350s and 20
Boeing 777s worth a total US$15.2
billion. Al
Baker said the airline will almost triple its fleet
size by the year 2015, and described how Qatar
Airways had made significant inroads in the
industry to become an award-winning airline in just
a short few years. As
part of the airline's growth strategy, Al Baker
said Qatar Airways has been introducing new
destinations and increasing frequency on existing
routes to offer passengers with a greater choice of
flights and convenient connection opportunities
over Doha. Al
Baker also briefed the media on the current state
of the US$5.5 billion New Doha International
Airport, of which construction began in January
2005 and was on schedule for phase one to be
completed by 2009. He
detailed how the new airport would be an
"architectural marvel", and the first in the world
to be designed and built specifically for Airbus's
new A380-800 double-decker 'super jumbo' &endash;
the largest passenger aircraft ever built. The A380
will be capable of carrying more than 550
passengers, with Qatar Airways a launch customer
taking delivery of the first of its four A380s in
2009, the year the new airport
opens. Award-winning
Qatar Airways is one of the fastest-growing
airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in
the world to 66 destinations in Europe, Middle
East, Africa, Indian sub-continent and Asia. The
airline, based in Doha, capital of the State of
Qatar, operates a fleet of 40 modern all-Airbus
aircraft. The airline is one of only three in the
world to be awarded a Five Star ranking by Skytrax
&endash; the independent aviation industry
monitoring agency &endash; for high service
standards and quality. For
more information, visit www.qatarairways.com. Qatar
Airways maintains an office in Toronto, Canada,
which can be contacted at: Tel. (416) 290-0999 /
toll free 1-888-366-5666, or by email at
help@qatarairways.ca. |
