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Qatar Airways is flying to a fifth Australian city & you won't guess which one

Back in March, when Qatar Airways' CEO, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said the carrier was considering flights to a fifth Australian city, most guessed the carrier would add Brisbane to its collection of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide services.

Back in March, when Qatar Airways’ CEO, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said the carrier was considering flights to a fifth Australian city, most guessed the carrier would add Brisbane to its collection of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide services.

However, the Middle Eastern airline surprised us all today with the announcement that it’s joining Singapore Airlines over in Canberra as the second airline to operate international services to and from Australia’s capital city in over a decade.

According to Mr. Akbar Al Baker, the addition of Canberra along with seven other destinations revealed today – Dublin, Ireland; Las Vegas, USA; Rio de Janiero, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Medan, Indonesia; and Tabuk and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia – will bring the carrier’s network to over 150 destinations worldwide serviced by the youngest fleet of Boeing 777 and Dreamliner aircraft and every model of Airbus aircraft, including the A350.

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These newly-announced destinations join the already-announced list of new destinations to start in 2017: Auckland, New Zealand will start 5 February 2017, and will be the world’s longest commercial flight; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Skopje, Macedonia; Libreville, Gabon; Nice, France; Chiang Mai, the airline’s fourth destination in Thailand; and Douala, Cameroon.

“Qatar Airways offers the world the best network, the best on board experience and the best connecting experience at Hamad International Airport,” Mr. Akbar Al Baker said.

“We operate the world’s youngest fleet, averaging just five years old, and we fly the most technologically advanced aircraft that provide our passengers with an award-winning experience while also ensuring the most efficient and environmentally friendly operations.

“Our intention is to ensure our passengers can choose Qatar Airways for all of their travel needs – whether they are flying on business, for pleasure, or a combination of both.

Canberra Airport

“With today’s network announcement, we will be able to connect more people to more places than any other Gulf airline, and we will ensure our passengers will delight in the journey.”

Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Chief Executive

“At Qatar Airways, we are going places together with our passengers, and we look forward to welcoming these new destinations in 2017-18.”

Qatar Airways has opened 12 new destinations in 2016 year-to-date, with two more cities set to join the network in December. The new cities added this year are Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles in the United States; Birmingham, U.K.; Helsinki, Finland; Pisa, the fourth destination in Italy; Yerevan, Armenia; Marrakech, the second destination in Morocco; Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Windhoek, Namibia; and Sydney and Adelaide in Australia.

Qatar Airways will begin service to Krabi, its third destination in Thailand, on 6 December and service returns to the Seychelles on 12 December.

Which other Australian city would you like to see Qatar Airways service?