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Qatar Airways is the national airlines of Qatar. It is among the fastest growing airlines and one of the four airlines that have gained the "five star airline" status from Skytrax. Qatar Airways made history in 2003 when it became the first airline in the world to pass IATA’ s new, stringent IOSA safety audit. Qatar Airways main base is Doha International Airport.
Qatar Airways was established on 22 November 1993 and started operations on 20 January 1994. The airline was originally owned by the royal family of Qatar. But it was re-launched in 1997 under a new management team. Government of Qatar holds 50% stake in Qatar Airways and the rest is held by private investors.
Presently, Qatar Airways flies to 60 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East. In India, Qatar Airways flies to Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, and Kochi. Air Qatar is going for a massive fleet expansion and would have a fleet of 52 aircrafts by the end of 2008. The fleet consists of A330-300, A330-200, A320-200, A321-200, A319LR, A319CJ, A300-600R, and A300-600 freighter.