Qatar Airways concluded a productive participation at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), that was held under the patronage of the Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin and attended by key opinion leaders from around the world. Being the largest investment and economy-focused event of its kind in the world featuring the State of Qatar as the guest country, Qatar Airways impressed participants with its world-class product and hospitality and signed several agreements with key Russian companies.
During the Forum, H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker also met with Mr. Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg, and Mr. Maxim Sokolov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, to discuss opportunities to further expand the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Russian Federation in terms of Tourism and Air Transport.
As part of its commitment to the Russian market, the airline signed several MOU agreements with significant Russian-based entities including, Volga-Dnepr and Pulkovo Airport. The signing ceremonies were conducted with Mr. Alexey Isaikin, Board of Directors of Volga-Dnepr, and Mr. Leonid Sergeev, CEO of Pulkovo Airport respectively.
Qatar Airways exhibited its patented award-winning Business Class product, the Qsuite, featuring the industry’s first-ever double bed in Business Class. Visitors of the Qatar Airways stand got a chance to experience the unparalleled level of comfort they could expect in the skies when they travel on board the award-winning airline.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “The Qatari participation in the Forum as the guest country this year demonstrates the strong commitment to the global and economic development of both countries. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), organised by Roscongress Foundation, ensured visitors followed the highest levels of safety standards and we were honoured to be part of this significant event, making our mark with key entities and further committing to the Russian market and beyond.
“Qatar Airways is proud to be among the key drivers of trade between the State of Qatar and the Russian Federation, as demonstrated by our ongoing commitment to the Russian market throughout the years. The award-winning airline offering seamless connectivity to Africa, Asia and the Middle East, continues to bolster its position as the global airline of choice in the Russian Federation, which is clearly evident based on the overwhelming positive feedback received from the local business and travel trade community.
“The State of Qatar is the largest investor of all GCC countries in the Russian economy, making the Forum an ideal opportunity for new scope of cooperation between the two states. We are very pleased with the outcome achieved during SPIEF and look forward to participating again in years to come.”
Qatar Airways first began its operations to the capital of Russia in 2003 and celebrates over 17 years of direct flights to Moscow. In 2017, the airline further demonstrated its commitment to the region by adding direct flights to St. Petersburg.
Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, has a longstanding commitment to the Russian market operating over 110 flights out of Russia in 2020 alone and accounting for 15% of all Qatar Executive business. Luxury jet services are available for worldwide charter on board the operator’s wholly-owned business jet fleet. Qatar Executive is the launch customer for Gulfstream’s G700 and largest commercial operator of the G650ER worldwide. Qatar Executive’s service portfolio also includes aircraft management, maintenance and Fixed Based 
Operator services.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with the most spacious, fully private, comfortable and social distanced Business Class product in the sky. 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. HIA was recently ranked ‘Third Best Airport in the World’, among 550 airports worldwide, by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020.
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