Qatar Airways, recently named Airline of the Year 2011, and Brazil´s Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, have implemented a new code share agreement.

The deal will connect travellers from Doha to 46 cities across Brazil through Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport, said a statement.

With this new agreement, Qatar Airways’ customers are able to purchase a single itinerary combining flights on both carriers’ global networks, affording them the ease of one-stop ticketing and through baggage check-in.

Qatar Airways, the national airline of Qatar, operates daily non-stop flights between its Doha hub and Brazil’s largest city of Sao Paulo, using its flagship Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft.

Configured with 42 seats in Business Class and 217 seats in Economy, every passenger in both classes has access to a fully interactive individual audio and video entertainment system with more than 900 programming options to choose from.

Gol has the most extensive route network in Brazil, with more than 900 daily departures to dozens of key Brazilian cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Curitiba, Foz da Iguaçú, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis and Londrina.

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said:  “We are pleased to now be growing our passenger base through this exciting new partnership with Gol Linhas Aéreas, which offers a convenient travel experience across Gol´s domestic network in Brazil to the many international destinations we fly to beyond our Doha hub.

“Whether passengers are flying to Brazil or from Brazil, we assure a seamless experience with our new partner airline Gol.

“Qatar Airways’ operations are strategically well placed to connect passengers travelling between East and West, and with schedules that offer excellent transit times as little as 30 minutes, we provide an exciting array of destinations for onward travel across the Middle East and Asia Pacific,” he said.

Gol´s marketing and communications vice president Claudia Pagnano said: “We are honoured to partner with Qatar Airways, an airline that, like Gol, is constantly focused on delivering a great experience to all travellers. We look forward to introducing Brazil´s most important cities to Qatar Airways global customers.”

The airline said customers may purchase Qatar Airways’ flights from several Brazilian destinations through the Global Distribution System (GDS), online travel agencies, by contacting Qatar Airways reservations or visiting the global site www.qatarairways.com or local Brazilian site www.qatarairways.com/br - TradeArabia News Service