Qatar Airways entered the Romanian market in January, thus beginning its plans to expand to Europe.
Qatar Airways is the only five-star carrier with flights to Romania, and it also has four flights a week to the capital of Hungary, Budapest.
The executive manager of the operator, Akbar Al Baker, said: "We chose Romania because it is an important country in Eastern Europe and has great tourist potential. We had been planning to enter the Romanian air travel market for five years".
The Minister of Transports, Anca Boagiu, said that the arrival of Qatar Airways in Bucharest proves that the Henri Coandă international airport can become a regional hub: "It is an extremely important step in the plan to make the Henri Coandă airport become a regional hub, and this year we will begin work on the subway that would tie the Capital to the airport".
The minister of Regional Development and Tourism, Elena Udrea, said that the entry of the Qatar carrier on the Romanian market provides the opportunity to grow the relationship with the countries in the Gulf area and of the tourism sector in Romania.
On a global level, Qatar Airways launched 11 new routes in February 2010 - Bengaluru (Bangalore), Copenhagen, Ankara, Tokyo, Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, Phuket and Hanoi. Qatar Airways ended the year 2010 by launching flights to Nice, on the French Riviera.
By 2013, Qatar Airways intends to serve 120 important business and holiday destinations across the world, with a modern fleet which comprises 120 aircraft.