Xiamen Airlines has recently announced its plan to launch flights between China and Doha. And today, Qatar Airways announced a new codeshare partnership with Xiamen Airlines.
Qatar Airways & Xiamen Airlines Codeshare Partnership
Qatar Airways has freshly launched a new codeshare partnership with Xiamen Airlines, the first Chinese airline to operate passenger nonstop flights from Mainland China to Qatar. The partnership states that Qatar Airways will be codesharing Xiamen’s flights between Beijing (PKX) – Doha (DOH) and Xiamen (XMN) – Doha (DOH).
Xiamen Airlines will be the Chinese airline to operate passenger nonstop flights between the two countries, which coincides with the 35th Anniversary Year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
While it is not mentioned in the press release, it is highly likely that there will be some sort of reciprocal earning and redemptions when traveling on the codeshared flights. Other than that, the codesharing will provide passengers with optimal connections to Qatar Airways’ global network beyond Doha, in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
In a statement, Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker described:
“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.”
My Take On This Partnership
Qatar Airways has been heavily expanding partnerships between Oneworld partners as well as non-Oneworld carriers recently and creating Doha as a mega-hub for airlines. The airline has been doing great when it comes to codesharing agreements or other types of partnerships that offer seamless travel for passengers through Doha.
Moreover, China is still recovering from the slow international travel growth and there are still limited international flights out of China. So the addition of two new routes to Doha, complementing the existing Qatar Airways network will offer more seats and competitive pricing over other carriers.
Summary
Qatar Airways and Xiamen just announced its codeshare partnership which coincides with the 35th Anniversary Year of diplomatic relations between Qatar and China. The partnership will possibly offer reciprocal benefits when flying on the codeshare flights.
