Image: Qatar Airways/Xiamen Airlines

Xiamen Airlines has become the first Chinese airline to operate passenger nonstop flights between Mainland China and Qatar after entering a codeshare with Qatar Airways.

Under the cooperation agreement, Xiamen Airlines will launch daily flights between Beijing’s Daxing International Airport and Hamad International Airport, the home of Qatar Airways with its modern and state-of-the art Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

In addition to the flights from Beijing, Xiamen Airlines will also launch two weekly flights from Xiamen, the special economic zone of Fujian Sheng province, to Doha. The flights commence on 31 October 2023.

Qatar Airways will codeshare on these new flights, which will greatly enhance its presence in Mainland China, that comprises six destinations with a total of 31 weekly flights operated by Qatar Airways followed by double daily flights to Hong Kong. As part of the new agreement, Xiamen Airlines will place its marketing code on Qatar Airways flights to and from Beijing.

Xiamen Airlines was founded in 1984 and is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance.

The new direct services from Beijing to Doha will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 that features a two-class configuration for 287 passengers, with 30 Business class seats and 257 in Economy class.

New destination

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to announce this comprehensive cooperation and to welcome our new partner, Xiamen Airlines, to Hamad International Airport, our home in Qatar. We are proud and honoured that Xiamen Airlines has chosen Doha as a new destination in their network and their only destination in the Middle East. Their flights are perfectly connected to our unparalleled global network offering customers of both airlines greater choice and seamless travel experiences.”

Zhao Dong, chairman of Xiamen Airlines said: “Both Qatar Airways and Xiamen Airlines are the winners of APEX World Class Awards in 2022 showing our shared commitment to high quality service. The partnership of two Five-Star airlines will bring wonderful flying experiences to the customers worldwide.”

Subscribe to the FINN weekly newsletter

You may also be interested in:

Qatar Airways reports record revenues