Qatar Airways landed in Ho Chi Minh City, marking the first time the Oryx livery has graced the airport of Vietnam’s commercial capital. It was a red carpet affair with specially invited VIP guests disembarking from the inaugural flight to a warm Vietnamese welcome. They were received by the deputy mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Trung Tin, officials from the airport and civil aviation authorities.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker addressed the gathering, signalling the new destination as one of growing importance to international trade and tourism. He cited his airline’s role in linking passengers from the Middle East, Europe and North Africa to the growing Asian travel market.

“The growing economy of Vietnam and its ascension into the World Trade Organisation has seen a large influx of business and leisure visitors to the country. We look forward to attracting passengers to our award-winning Five-Star service here in Ho Chi Minh City,” he said on arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Al Baker added that it had been a busy two days for Qatar’s national carrier, which has also launched flights to Chennai in southern India and the tropical Indonesian island of Bali.

“We anticipate trade and travel in this region will continue to expand and view our role as an international airline as one of facilitation and service, both in terms of business travellers and tourists,” he said, adding that the new flights would provide excellent connections to Europe, Middle East and Africa via the airline’s operational hub of Doha.

The addition of Bali and Ho Chi Minh City sees Qatar Airways’ Far East network increase from 12 to 14 destinations. The airline already serves Hong Kong, Osaka, Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Yangon, Manila and Cebu.