National carrier Qatar Airways yesterday (July 1) celebrated one full year of daily, non-stop service between its hub Doha and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport.

"Dallas/Forth Worth has been an excellent partner in our efforts to give US travellers superior leisure travel options and build stronger business relationships across North Texas," said Gunter Saurwein, Qatar Airways vice president, Americas. "The route has been an incredible success and we will continue to offer five-star connections between DFW and our network of over 140 destinations around the world."

During last year's launch, Sean Donohue, DFW Airport's chief executive officer, referred to the airport as "an integral economic driver for the region" and estimated that the new route would add approximately $200 million to the local economy.

"DFW congratulates oneworld partner Qatar Airways on its first anniversary of service at DFW," said John Ackerman, executive vice president Global Strategy and Development for DFW. "Over the last year nearly 160,000 passengers travelled between Doha and DFW with more than half of these customers connecting to the 149 US cities served from DFW airport."

The Dallas/Forth Worth launch last year also celebrated the arrival of the first Boeing 777-200LR to its facility. The aircraft was greeted by a traditional "water ceremony" and Qatar Airways celebrated later in the year with a gala dinner at the The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas.

The Dallas/Fort Worth anniversary comes just after Qatar Airways announced plans to launch three new US gateways in 2016. The airline will begin by launching their first West coast route from Los Angeles on January 1, followed by Boston on March 16 and Atlanta on June 1. All new routes will feature daily flights to Hamad International Airport in Doha.

The airline also plans to begin providing double-daily flights on-board the brand new Airbus A350 XWB from New York City on March 1, 2016, as well offering the state-of-the-art aircraft along their Philadelphia and Boston routes.

Qatar Airways currently serves seven US destinations: Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth. – TradeArabia News Service