Qatari national carrier, Qatar Airways is set to commence services to Amsterdam from June 16, 2015.
The Doha – Amsterdam route will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, configured with 22 fully-flat bed seats in Business Class, and 232 in Economy, six-times-per-week.
Qatar Airways’ CEO, Akbar Al Baker said that the airline would like to operate up to two passenger flights daily if there were no bilateral constraints, but the airline is thwarted by the Dutch government which refuses to give extra landing rights to the three major Gulf carriers.
"Qatar Airways and KLM could work together, for example based on a code-share agreement. If there is a form of cooperation that is good for both of us, I am in favour of that,” he said.
At a press conference in Amsterdam, the airline’s CEO was questioned about the Dutch government’s decision to restrict the number of frequencies given to the UAE carrier.
“I’m sure that stable thinking will prevail with all of the governments to make sure that airlines are not restricted with their expansion, because it is always a two-way street. My government does not retaliate in any way to countries that do not give traffic rights, but in the long term, when it is a requirement of the government for economic reasons and someone is restricting, then the economy is also a two-way street.”
Western airlines claim the Gulf carriers expansion is due to unfair financial support which the Middle Eastern airlines get from their governments. The European Union is currently negotiating an air treaty with the Gulf States which includes clauses on state financing.
“You will benefit from us, we also have to benefit from you, so if you don’t allow us to benefit in a small way by bringing additional flights to the Netherlands then you should not expect a lot of commercial contracts from our government – it’s as simple as that,” he added.
With the addition of Amsterdam, the total number of European destinations covered by the five-star airline will be 34, which is approximately 25 percent of the airline’s network.
“As an airline, we are always looking for new opportunities to grow and expand our worldwide network,” said Al Baker. “Amsterdam is a major capital, one of the busiest airports in Europe, and one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world. We have been pursuing the opportunity to open this new route for some time and I am pleased to have achieved our ambition. We have high expectations for the new Amsterdam-Doha flight with many passengers already booked on our new flights."
The new passenger services will further complement Qatar Airways’ existing cargo services to Amsterdam, boosting freight capacity by 10 per cent. Qatar Airways Cargo has served the Dutch capital for over ten years having launched air freight services to Schiphol Airport in 2003.
The airline would also like to increase its cargo services to twice or three-times-daily, given that KLM and Martinair have reduced capacity at Amsterdam Schiphol. “The Netherlands has been a trading company for centuries, so it requires increased capacity in freighter services, which we are ready to do, provided that we are allowed,” added Al Baker.
The views of Al Baker follow a recent report in Dutch newspaper, Financieele Dagblad, which said Gulf carriers will not be allowed new landing rights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Citing a Dutch minister, the report said the government has moved to stop Gulf airlines from obtaining any more landing rights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport because of claims of unfair competition.
Holland’s junior transport minister Wilma Mansveld allegedly said: “I want, together with my European colleagues, to take a tougher approach to the rise of airlines in the Middle East if there is talk of unfair competition”.
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