Summary
- Qatar Airways unveils a new livery featuring Expo 2023 Doha, highlighting its role as the Official Strategic Partner for the event.
- The special livery adorns an Airbus A330-300 that will today head to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in China.
- Qatar Airways will offer enhanced inflight experiences and menus, as well as Expo-themed entertainment on flights from October 11.
On Sunday, Qatar Airways unveiled a new livery featuring Expo 2023 Doha, a six-month event themed ‘Green Desert, Better Environment.’ As the Official Strategic Partner for the event, Qatar Airways is also featuring special inflight experiences and enhanced menus from October 11.
The unveiling also celebrates the readiness of Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport to host a global gathering focused on environmental awareness, strengthening their positions as strategic partners in the journey towards a sustainable future. The Expo opens today and will run until March 28, 2024, with around three million international visitors expected to attend.
A workhorse gets the new livery
The Expo 2023 Doha livery now adorns a 2005 Airbus A330-300, registration A7-AED and MSN 0680, that will head off today to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) in China. In recent weeks this aircraft has flown medium-haul routes from Doha Hamad (DOH) to destinations including Tunis (TUN), Colombo (CMB), Warsaw (WAW), Kathmandu (KTM) and Kolkata (CCU), seemingly at home with sectors of around five hours flying time.
Photo: Qatar Airways
The special livery was unveiled at Hamad International by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, who said at the ceremony:
“We welcome all countries to Expo 2023 Doha, which represents a continuation of our inspiring journey filled with innovation, collaboration, and pioneering solutions. The arrival of the Expo 2023 Doha aircraft at Hamad International Airport symbolises our commitment to fostering a sustainable and innovative future as enshrined in Qatar’s national vision.”
The Expo is also referred to as Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha, and in keeping with that theme, Qatar Airways will offer an enhanced in-flight experience on flights from October 11. There will be a range of specially curated beverages and an exclusive à la carte menu spotlighting Qatari farm-sourced ingredients.
Photo: Minh K Tran / Shutterstock
The in-flight entertainment will feature Expo-themed entertainment and a dedicated Expo channel offering more than thirty gardening-related programs, ensuring a memorable horticultural experience in-flight.
Attracting plenty of international interest
The Expo is at Doha’s Al Bidda Park on a 1.7 million square meters (2.03 million square yards) site overlooking the Arabian Gulf. It has attracted participants from more than 80 countries and will include the Qatar Airways Garden, a pavilion highlighting engaging activities designed to illustrate the Expo’s theme of ‘Green Desert, Better Environment.’
The Expo is focused on four main topics: Modern Agriculture, Technology and Innovation, Environmental Awareness and Sustainability. The Green Desert concept combines traditional agricultural practices with modern and alternative techniques like hydroponics, permaculture and vermiculture in a sustainable manner. The greening of deserts is a sustainable project for irrigation and forestation of dry areas or regions near water sources, like lakes, rivers, seas or oceans.
Qatar Airways will be looking to carry as many inbound visitors as possible, and with its network of more than 160 international destinations, it is well placed to do that. Fleet data from ch-aviation.com shows it has around 260 aircraft, with just 38 single-aisle narrowbodies. The bulk of the fleet includes 68 Boeing 777s and 42 787 Dreamliners, while Airbus aircraft include 58 A350s and 18 A330s.
Will you be visiting Doha during the Expo 2023? Let us know in the comments.
Fleet data: ch-aviation.com